FDES XML Standard in France: Quickfire Guide
Bidding on a French building project without an FDES feels like showing up at Cannes without a film. The Environmental and Health Declaration Form is the ticket to enter France’s RE2020 market, a scene now worth an estimated €35 billion a year (CSTB, 2024). Skip it and your product may never reach the screening room.
What exactly is an FDES?
FDES stands for Fiche de Déclaration Environnementale et Sanitaire. Think of it as France’s own extended-cut version of an Environmental Product Declaration. It bundles a cradle-to-grave life-cycle assessment with health data drawn from toxicological databases. The format is cemented in the NF EN 15804+A2 standard and must be submitted in French.
Why French projects insist on it
France’s RE2020 building code rewards low-carbon materials with up to 6 points on the overall energy-and-climate scorecard (Ministère de la Transition Écologique, 2025). Projects chasing those points need product-specific FDES documents, not generic database averages. Skipping the form can nudge your product off the spec list before the real price talks even start.
How an FDES differs from an EN 15804 EPD
Both documents share the same core LCA backbone, but the FDES adds three twists:
- A mandatory health section flagging VOCs and classified substances.
- A more granular breakdown of construction site impacts (A4 and A5).
- Publication exclusively on the INIES national database.
Data sources: INIES and nothing else
France centralises all FDES files on INIES, the public repository run by the CSTB. Once uploaded, numbers are locked for five years, and architects pull them straight into software like Pleiades and EQUER by clicking a single URL (INIES, 2025). If your product is not there, it is invisible.
Timeline to publication: realistic vs aspirational
Official guidance says a complete FDES can be produced in “about six months.” Market surveys show the median drags past ten months because data collection stalls in multi-plant supply chains (ADEME, 2024). Manufacturers who pre-compile utility bills, invoices, and transport maps often shave the schedule by 40 percent.
Choosing a partner to crunch the numbers
Three checkpoints separate the quick from the stuck:
- A bilingual LCA team that writes in French and references INIES taxonomy line-for-line.
- A proven workflow for supplier data capture. Email spreadsheets are too slow, regularly.
- An independent verifier approved by the Comité Scientifique to sign off in less than two weeks.
Key takeaway for manufacturers
The FDES is not just “a French EPD.” It is a sales passport stamped by regulators and trusted by every architect working under RE2020. Secure the data early, keep it clean, and your product sidesteps the budget-cut guillotine that claims less documented competitors. Missing the form? You might as well forget the French market altoghether.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an English-language EPD accepted instead of an FDES?
No. RE2020 tools only import FDES XML files hosted on INIES. An English EPD will not count toward the carbon budget.
How often must an FDES be renewed?
Every five years or sooner if the product changes significantly.
Can one FDES cover multiple product variants?
Yes, if the variants share identical composition and manufacturing routes within a 10 percent impact range across all categories.
Who approves the verifier?
Verifiers are accredited by the Comité Scientifique of INIES; you must pick from their current list.
Does the FDES need a separate health risk assessment?
The health section draws on existing hazard classifications (CLP and REACH); no extra risk study is required.
About the Author
Walker Ryan is a climate-tech entrepreneur focused on driving industrial decarbonization through better data. As the founder and CEO of Parq, he helps manufacturers generate high-quality, third-party–verified carbon disclosures at scale—accelerating a traditionally slow and expensive process. Before starting Parq, Walker led over $200 million in sustainability-focused investments as VP of Strategy & Growth at ReStream Solutions, following earlier experience in investment banking at Deutsche Bank. He brings a rare mix of capital markets expertise and hands-on sustainability knowledge to tackling the infrastructure of industrial emissions.
