The British Board of Agrément (BBA) has launched the inaugural BBA Sustainable Innovator Award, a new initiative created to recognise construction products that show meaningful progress in sustainability and innovation.
The award reflects a growing need across the construction sector for future-focused innovation that is also demonstrably robust. With more manufacturers actively developing products designed to improve environmental performance, the BBA Sustainable Innovator Award plays a pivotal role in supporting progress that is underpinned by clear technical evidence and independent assessment.
Designed for manufacturers with sustainable and innovative products already in production, the award opens up opportunities for these products to be adopted at scale. It provides a defined route into the BBA’s established certification process, supporting products as they move from development into wider specification.
Hardy Giesler, CEO of the BBA, comments, “This award has been launched to support manufacturers who are addressing sustainability challenges in a practical, evidence-led way. Innovation is fundamental to why the BBA was founded, and that continues to come through in the products we assess today. Over the years, we have seen a growing number of solutions that push the boundaries of performance and environmental impact, and it is important that these products can demonstrate performance and reliability for real-world applications.”
The winning product will receive access to a full BBA Agrément assessment, or HAPAS for civils products, covering scoping, certification and the first three-year cycle of standard planned maintenance audits, with an approximate value of £50,000. Certification remains subject to meeting all relevant technical and procedural requirements, in line with established BBA protocols.
The BBA Sustainable Innovator Award was established to help manufacturers stand out for proven, sustainable innovation, through trusted industry recognition and access to rigorous independent assessment. For specifiers and stakeholders, it acts as a trusted marker of innovation that has been responsibly developed.
Hardy Giesler adds, “Independent assessment has always been central to the BBA’s role, with our work focused on giving the industry confidence in new products through rigorous assessment that resolves uncertainty before products enter the market. Through this award, we are looking to engage with manufacturers at an earlier stage, building on the work we do and accelerating support for credible, well-evidenced sustainability and innovation as the industry continues to evolve.”
The Sustainable Innovator Award is open to growth-ready manufacturers (specifically startups and small businesses) who are the original developers of the products submitted and who supply products for use in the built environment. The winning product will be announced at the CPA Autumn Lunch in November 2026, celebrating the shortlisted entries and overall winner at the key industry event.
Entries open on 18th May and close on 28th August. To find out more about the awards scheme and how to enter, visit https://www.bbacerts.co.uk/sustainable-innovator-award/
