Blog:
From materials passport to the golden thread – What owners and operators need to know
As the built environment progresses towards net zero and circularity, material passports have become an important part of moving forward. They document the components and materials used in a building, helping asset owners, operators and developers unlock opportunities for reuse, recycling and embodied carbon reduction.
Materials passports provide a useful snapshot of what a building is made of, but they are just one piece of the bigger picture.
What is a materials passport?
A materials passport is a digital record that stores detailed information about the materials and products used within a building. It typically includes data such as composition, origin, environmental performance and reuse potential. This creates complete transparency about what a building is made of and how its materials can be recovered or recycled in the future.
By turning buildings into material banks, materials passports support circular economy goals, help reduce embodied carbon and enable asset owners to make informed decisions about maintenance, refurbishment and end of life reuse.
From materials passports to building intelligence
To achieve full lifecycle transparency and long-term building performance, asset owners need more than just data on materials, they need a single source of truth for all asset information.
We believe that this should go beyond capturing the physical characteristics of a building. For complete transparency, it’s also important to view the systems, components and operational data throughout design, construction and occupation.
This is the foundation of the golden thread of information. Every data point from a product’s sustainability rating to maintenance schedules and compliance documentation is captured, structured and easily searchable.
Why asset owners need more
For building owners and operators, a materials passport alone doesn’t answer key operational questions:
- Is this material compliant with the latest fire safety regulations?
- When was this component last maintained or replaced?
- What is the embodied carbon of this system across the whole estate?
Glider’s information management platform bridges these gaps providing owners and facilities managers with the complete picture to ensure safety, compliance and long-term value.
The result
With all the asset information accessible in one platform, sustainability and circularity goals are easier to meet. Asset owners gain complete lifecycle management, with every decision backed by verified data. Sustainability and circularity goals are easier to meet with the right data for reuse and embodied carbon reporting. And with structured, connected data, your building is ready for digital twins and smart building integrations.
Get in touch with one of our materials passport experts to find out more.
Download our free guide How to unlock the full value of your assets with a materials passport to discover how you can turn material data into actionable intelligence across your estate.