With the new Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 taking effect on January 7, 2025, the EU is introducing System 3+ for construction products. This system becomes mandatory from January 8, 2026.

This new system is used to assess “environmental sustainability,” now an essential characteristic required for all construction products.

What System 3+ involves:

• The manufacturer performs a performance assessment based on modelling, data, and assumptions.

• The Notified Body validates the methods, data, software, and standards used.

• An initial factory inspection is conducted, which includes a review of manufacturer-specific data.

• The Notified Body decides whether to issue, restrict, suspend, or withdraw the validation report based on the assessment results.

A phased roll-out via updated standards

System 3+ won’t apply to all products at once. It will only be required for products where:

• a new or updated harmonized standard has been published that includes environmental sustainability; or

• the European Commission has adopted a delegated act making System 3+ applicable for that product category.

Essentially, this means System 3+ will be implemented gradually as standards and technical specifications are updated.

Link to standards

The sustainability assessment is based on the principles of EN 15804:2012+A2:2019, along with specific Product Category Rules (PCRs) like EN 16904 and EN 16757. These rules are being built into the new versions of harmonized standards.