In 2013 the European Construction Products Directive was superseded by the Construction Products Regulation (CPR). The CPR lays down harmonized rules for the marketing of construction products in the EU. The Regulation provides a common technical language to assess the performance of construction products. It ensures that reliable information is available to professionals, public authorities and consumers, so they can compare the performance of products across different manufacturers in various countries.
Generally, construction products including piping systems can be marked with the CE marking when there exists a harmonized European standard, which has been cited in the Official Journal of the European Union. So far there has been no citation of a harmonized standard for plastic pipes, meaning that it is currently neither possible, nor legal to apply the CE marking for the plastic piping systems, or issue a Declaration of Performance (DoP) for any of the following plastic pipe applications:
· Non-pressure soil and waste discharge
· Underground non-pressure drainage and sewerage
· Buried and above ground conveyance of liquids under pressure
· Hot and cold water distribution
CE marking is also not allowed for other plastic piping products for applications, such as Rainwater Downpipes and Gutters.
Plastic piping systems can still receive specification within each EU Member State. They can be sold and used under the already existing approvals to recognized product standards as done up to now.