A whistle-stop tour of Mat 01 and Mat 02
BREEAM splits Materials into two headline issues.
- Mat 01 rewards whole-building life-cycle assessment (LCA). Up to seven credits hinge on the quality of LCA data, benchmark performance and a tidy set of design options (BRE, 2024).
- Mat 02 offers 1.5 credits for simply using 20 products that each hold a product-specific EPD verified to ISO 14025 or EN 15804 (BRE, 2024).
Manufacturers cannot influence everything in Mat 01, but they fully control Mat 02. Land those EPDs and your catalogue turns into an instant credit generator.
Why specifiers chase EPD-backed products
BREEAM adoption is surging. BRE counted 2.33 million registered buildings worldwide in 2024 (BRE Group, 2024). In North America alone certifications jumped 43 percent last year (Mann Report, 2025). Every one of those project teams must dig up 20 EPDs if they want the easy Mat 02 points. Offer them on a platter and you win the “low-friction” slot in their materials schedule.
Want to boost your BREEAM scores with EPDs?
Follow us on LinkedIn for insights on how to unlock project opportunities and win specifications with solid EPD data.
Tier talk: what makes an EPD count
BREEAM tiers EPDs from 1 (generic) to 4 (product-specific plus plant-specific). Only tiers 3 and 4 unlock the full 1.5 credits. That means:
- third-party verification
- product-level data, not industry averages
- published through an accepted program operator
Skip any one bullet and your declaration drops to tier 2, worth precisely zero credits in Mat 02.
Mat 01: the stealth benefit
Even when your product’s share of the building mass is small, high-quality EPD data can shave enough kilograms of CO₂e in the building LCA model to bag an extra Mat 01 credit. Designers love low-hanging carbon fruit. The numbers are undeniable, it works.
ROI in plain figures
BREEAM fees might look modest compared with a new product line, yet project wins stack quickly. One UK façade supplier tracked £42 million in bids where their EPD tipped Mat 02 over the line in 2024 (internal tender logs, 2024). Exact values will vary, but the pattern repeats across cladding, insulation and even fixtures.
Fast-track tactics for manufacturers
- Map your biggest revenue drivers to BREEAM trade-offs. Heavy hitters first.
- Pick a partner who handles factory data collection end to end. Your process engineers stay on the line, not chasing spreadsheets.
- Publish under a program operator already recognised by BRE so assessors do not need side letters.
- Re-issue the EPD before the five-year mark if your energy mix improves—those lower impacts feed straight back into Mat 01.
Bottom line
Mat 02 is a door prize. Show up with 20 rock-solid, product-specific EPDs and BREEAM projects will keep calling.
