The FDES (Fiche de Déclaration Environnementale et Sanitaire, France's environmental and health product declaration) has become an almost unavoidable step for any manufacturer of construction products: without it, a product is penalised in RE2020 (French environmental regulation for new buildings) calculations and may be excluded from specifications. But between the Life Cycle Assessment, third-party verification and publication on the INIES database, the process remains unclear for many manufacturers. This guide walks concretely through the steps to obtain an FDES, the timelines and costs to plan for, and the funding that can cover part of it.
FDES: a quick reminder
An FDES is the French version of the EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) for construction products. It is a type III environmental declaration within the meaning of the ISO 14025 standard: it is based on a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and, above all, it is verified by an independent third party before being published. Its French particularity lies in its health section, which goes beyond environmental performance alone. For the general framework and the distinction from other declarations, see our article on the EPD in Europe and in France.
Before starting, a useful point on terminology: an FDES concerns construction products (concrete, insulation, joinery, coverings, etc.). For electrical, electronic and HVAC equipment, the equivalent declaration is called a PEP (product environmental profile), governed by the PEP ecopassport programme and the NF EN 50693 standard. The steps below describe the process for an FDES.
Individual FDES, collective FDES or default data: which route to choose?
First structuring decision: the type of declaration you are aiming for.
- The individual FDES covers a specific product from a given manufacturer. It is the most valuable commercially, because it reflects the product's actual performance, but it is also the most demanding in terms of data.
- The collective FDES is carried by a trade association to represent a typical product within a family (for example a type of brick or insulation). It shares the cost among several manufacturers and is well suited to standardised products.
- Default environmental data (DED) are not an FDES: they are generic values, deliberately penalising, applied by the regulation to a product that has no declaration. They serve as a deterrent, not as a goal.
The choice depends on your strategy: product differentiation and a specification argument argue for the individual FDES, while a high-volume market for a commoditised product may justify the collective one.
How to obtain an FDES: the 5 steps
Obtaining an FDES follows a rigorous sequence. Here are the main steps.
1. Frame the scope and identify the PCR
You begin by precisely defining the declared product, its functional unit (for example 1 m² of installed covering over a given reference service life) and the scope of the life cycle covered. You then identify the product category rules (PCR) applicable to the family concerned: these set the calculation assumptions specific to the product type and ensure that two declarations from the same family remain comparable.
2. Carry out the LCA compliant with NF EN 15804+A2
This is the heart of the work. You model the product's entire life cycle, from raw material extraction to end of life, using precise activity data: composition, manufacturing processes, energy consumption, transport, packaging, installation, end of life. The LCA must comply with the NF EN 15804+A2 standard and its national complement NF EN 15804+A2/CN, which carry the methodological reference currently in force. This is the step that demands the most rigour: the quality of the input data directly determines the reliability of the declaration.
3. Complete the health section
A French specificity, the FDES includes a health section in addition to the environmental indicators: indoor air emissions, contribution to water quality, hygrothermal, acoustic, visual and olfactory comfort. This information is documented according to the requirements of the national complement NF EN 15804+A2/CN.
4. Have the FDES verified by a third party
The declaration and the underlying LCA are submitted to an independent, accredited third-party verifier, according to the rules of the INIES programme. This external verification checks compliance with the standards and the reliability of the data. It is what distinguishes an FDES from a simple internal product assessment: without third-party verification, there is no FDES.
5. Publish the FDES on the INIES database
Once verified, the FDES is published on the INIES database, the national reference database. It then becomes accessible to all construction professionals and, above all, usable in the building-level LCA calculations required by RE2020. An FDES has a limited period of validity: it must be updated periodically to remain usable.
The role of the INIES database
In France, INIES (INformations sur les Impacts Environnementaux et Sanitaires) hosts the national reference database, governs verification and publishes FDES and PEP declarations. It is the single source used by building-level LCA software to aggregate the impacts of a project's products. Being present in INIES with a verified FDES is the condition for a product to be correctly taken into account in a regulatory calculation.
How long does an FDES take and how much does it cost?
The timeline and cost of an FDES depend above all on the complexity of the product, the availability of activity data and the type of declaration (individual, collective, sectoral). You should allow several weeks to a few months between the start of the LCA and publication, with data collection and verification being the longest phases. The budget varies widely according to these same factors: a simple, well-documented product costs significantly less than a product with a complex or multi-site composition. The good news: part of this cost can be funded.
Funding to finance your FDES
Carrying out the LCA that underpins an FDES falls within the scope of several eco-design support schemes, which sharply reduce the remaining cost.
- Bpifrance's Diag Éco-conception (eco-design diagnostic). It co-funds the eco-design process, including the upstream LCA, with support that can reach 70% of the cost for companies with fewer than 50 employees and less than 10 M€ in turnover.
- The Booster Rev3, in Hauts-de-France. Run by the Region, it covers 50% of the pre-tax cost of the assignment (LCA as well as carbon footprint), up to a subsidy ceiling of 10,000 €, for regional SMEs.
We help you identify the schemes you can access and put together the application. To frame your project and estimate the budget, let's talk about your needs.
Figures current as of July 2026; as public schemes change, check the conditions in force before putting together your application.
FDES and RE2020: why it is strategic
RE2020 calculates the carbon footprint of a new building through LCA, aggregating the impacts of the products it comprises from the FDES and PEP declarations available in INIES. A product without an FDES is assigned penalising default data: it weighs down the client's calculation and becomes harder to specify. Conversely, a good-quality FDES enhances the product in the building-level LCA and makes it a specification advantage. To understand this regulatory framework, see our article on RE2020 and on the EN 15804 standard.
Getting support
Obtaining an FDES is not just a documentary formality: it is a Life Cycle Assessment project run methodically, through to verification and publication. Done well, it turns a regulatory constraint into a lasting commercial argument, and most often fits within a broader eco-design approach: measure, identify the hotspots, then act on formulation, processes or end of life. At Releaf Carbon, we support manufacturers across the whole chain, from the LCA to the verified declaration, with the rigor of a consulting firm and the clarity of a tool. To assess your situation, let's discuss your project or explore our methodological resources.
Frequently asked questions
The FDES is the French version of the EPD for construction products. Every FDES is an EPD, to which a health section specific to French regulation is added. EPDs, for their part, cover all product families and all countries.
No, it is not a legal production requirement. But without an FDES, the product is assigned deliberately penalising default environmental data in RE2020 calculations, which strongly disadvantages it against competitors that hold a verified declaration.
An independent, accredited third-party verifier, according to the rules of the INIES programme. This external verification is what gives the FDES its value: without it, the declaration is not admissible.
An FDES has a limited period of validity and must be updated periodically to remain usable in the INIES database and in regulatory calculations. An expired declaration can no longer be used.
Yes, in part. The LCA underpinning the FDES falls within the scope of Bpifrance's Diag Éco-conception (up to 70% for eligible small companies) and, in Hauts-de-France, of the Booster Rev3 (50% of the pre-tax cost, ceiling of 10,000 €). We help you check your eligibility.