EPDs for Air Barriers in Europe: The Data Guide
Planning an EPD for an air barrier in 2026? Here is the definitive, numbers‑first read for membranes and wraps often called weather barriers, WRBs, vapor control layers, breather membranes, housewraps, and airtightness membranes. Use this to choose the right PCR, program operator, and timing for renewals without guesswork.
What counts as an air barrier here
Air barriers keep conditioned air where it belongs and moisture where it cannot hurt. In specs and catalogs the same family shows up as weather and air barriers, WRBs, vapor control layers, breather membranes, housewraps, and sealing membranes for facades and roofs. If your product’s core job is airtightness or wind‑water control at the envelope, it likely lives in this set.
The five‑year snapshot at a glance
In the last five years, Europe shows 378 currently valid EPDs for air barriers from 51 manufacturers and 4 program operators. That is a busy field, but not yet saturated.
Issuance by year has been steady with a clear peak in 2022.
| Year | EPDs issued |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 79 |
| 2022 | 118 |
| 2023 | 88 |
| 2024 | 92 |
| 2025 | 1 |
2022 accounts for about 31 percent of all current EPDs. The single 2025 entry reflects partial capture for the year to date.
Who is publishing the most
The field is concentrated. SAINT‑GOBAIN ISOVER leads with 92 current EPDs, followed by Placoplatre with 58, ROCKWOOL FRANCE with 45, and KNAUF with 23. These four groups together account for over 57 percent of all current air‑barrier EPDs in Europe. Mid‑tier contributors include BUITEX INDUSTRIES, ETEX France Building Performance: SINIAT, GEOPANNEL, Eurocoustic Saint‑Gobain, HIRSCH France, and several niche membrane specialists.
What this means commercially is simple. If you sell air‑barrier membranes and do not appear in competitive searches with a product‑specific EPD, you are competing uphill on price and lead times instead of performance fit.
Program operators used in Europe
One operator dominates. INIES hosts 369 current EPDs across 44 manufacturers in this category, roughly 98 percent of the total. EPD International AB accounts for 7 EPDs across 5 manufacturers. IBU and NSF International appear once each. High INIES share aligns with the French market’s national additions to EN 15804, which many cross‑border brands also adopt when selling into France.
Diversity check matters. INIES activity is broad, not just a single OEM’s portfolio. EPD International AB’s smaller count is spread across multiple manufacturers, so it is also a credible path, especially for non‑French portfolios that want wide recognition.
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The PCRs that actually got used
Two national additions did the heavy lifting. Here is the full breakdown of PCRs behind current EPDs and the latest expiry any EPD on each rulebook shows.
| PCR used | EPDs | Latest expiry |
|---|---|---|
| Sustainability of construction works – National addition to NF EN 15804+A1 | 190 | Oct 6, 2028 |
| Sustainability of construction works – National addition to NF EN 15804+A2 | 177 | Sep 3, 2029 |
| PCR 2019:14 Construction products (EN 15804+A2) (1.3.3) | 4 | Dec 28, 2028 |
| PCR 2019:14 Construction products (EN 15804:A2) (1.2.5) | 1 | Jan 18, 2028 |
| PCR 2019:14‑c‑PCR‑006 Wood and wood‑based products for use in construction (EN 16485) | 2 | Mar 28, 2027 |
| Part B: EPD requirements for technical textiles | 1 | Jan 20, 2026 |
| Product Category Rule for EPDs – Architectural Coatings | 1 | Nov 21, 2027 |
| NPCR 022: Part B for Roof waterproofing | 1 | Dec 31, 2030 |
| CEN standard EN 15804 | 1 | Feb 8, 2026 |
Takeaway. If your product’s function is envelope airtightness or weather protection, the national additions to EN 15804 are the common route. Niche membranes sometimes map to technical textiles, coatings, or roof waterproofing when their use case skews that way.
Renewal pressure by calendar year
EPDs typically have a five‑year validity period, which concentrates renewals into waves when a category surges in publishing (EPD International, 2024). Here is the forward curve for expiries of current air‑barrier EPDs.
• 2026: 77 expiries. Most stem from NF EN 15804+A1 based EPDs, plus single entries under CEN EN 15804 and technical textiles.
• 2027: 117 expiries. Again largely NF EN 15804+A1, with minor wood and coatings PCRs.
• 2028: 92 expiries. A1 tails off, A2 rises with 86 expiries.
• 2029: 91 expiries. All under the national addition to NF EN 15804+A2.
• 2030: 1 expiry. A roof waterproofing EPD reaching its term.
Planning move. If your portfolio leans on A1 today, schedule A2 updates early so sales teams are never caught with declarations close to expiry during key tenders. Build data collection windows into plant calendars to avoid scrambling.
The very latest EPD in this set
The newest entry we see is SOPREMA SAS’s Alsan 770 on Apr 1, 2025. It was published with INIES under NPCR 022: Part B for Roof waterproofing and runs through Dec 31, 2030. That mix illustrates the real world. Many membranes serve as both air and water barriers, so they sometimes anchor to roof or waterproofing PCRs when product lines bridge use cases.
How often teams use an EPD consultant
159 of 378 EPDs were developed with a third‑party EPD consultant or service provider. That is about 42 percent. For complex portfolios this speeds work, keeps datasets complete, and reduces internal lift. If you prefer white‑glove project management and data wrangling handled for you, an EPD service provider like Parq is built for that.
Choosing the right PCR and operator in 2026
Pick the rulebook that your competitors use unless there is a clear mismatch with your product scope. That keeps comparability clean and avoids surprises in verification. If France is a key market, NF EN 15804 national additions are the common choice. If your product is a vapor control layer used under roof build‑ups, a roof waterproofing PCR can fit better. When in doubt, map to the product’s primary function in the top two modules customers scrutinize.
On operator choice, commodity membranes aimed at France often publish through INIES. Pan‑European brands split between INIES and EPD International AB. IBU appears for specific membrane families where German Part B rules fit best. Each is valid in market when tied to EN 15804, so let sales geography, verifier access, and portfolio breadth guide you.
Notably absent or filed differently
A few big names that sell heavily in Europe do have EPDs, yet they may not show up in a narrow “air barrier in Europe” slice because they publish under adjacent categories or different operators. DuPont’s Tyvek family appears under weather barrier CPRs and non‑European operators in several cases. SIGA lists membranes that map to IBU Part B categories such as sealing sheets or underlay sheeting. If you cannot find a brand in a category search, look for roofing membranes, weather barriers, or facade sealing membranes. It is intersting how a small wording shift in the PCR title can move an otherwise comparable product out of sight.
What this means for your 2026 roadmap
• If you lack a product‑specific EPD in a line that competes with WRBs or airtightness membranes, you are likely losing invitations to bid when carbon accounting is required.
• If your current EPDs are A1 based and expiring in 2026 or 2027, lock a renewal slot now. Update to A2 where your competitors already are to keep specifications apples to apples.
• If your team is bandwidth‑limited, consider an EPD service provider to carry the data collection and publication workload. Speed matters because tender windows do not wait.
One last thing
This article draws on the global public registry of EPDs used by most specifiers. Due to routine loading lags, late‑2025 releases might not be fully captured yet. Want the full up‑to‑date background dataset and a quick recommendation on the best‑fit PCR for your next EPD based on your competitors? Connect with me on LinkedIn and send a message. I am happy to share the details or hop on a short call to help, free of charge.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many current EPDs exist for air barriers in Europe and how crowded is the field?
There are 378 currently valid EPDs across 51 manufacturers. The category is competitive but not saturated, with a handful of groups accounting for more than half of the volume.
Which program operators do European air‑barrier manufacturers use most often?
INIES hosts roughly 98% of the current EPDs in this category, followed by EPD International AB. IBU and NSF International appear rarely.
What PCRs should air‑barrier manufacturers favor in 2026?
Most manufacturers use the national additions to EN 15804 in France, either NF EN 15804+A1 or the newer A2. Adjacent PCRs such as technical textiles, coatings, or roof waterproofing can fit special cases like sealing sheets or bituminous membranes.
When will most current air‑barrier EPDs expire and how should teams plan?
Large renewal waves hit in 2026 and 2027 due to the A1 cycle, with A2‑based expiries peaking in 2028 and 2029. Book verification capacity early and align plant data collection with renewal windows.
How common is it to use an external EPD consultant or service provider?
About 42% of current EPDs in this set were developed with third‑party support, which helps maintain speed and data completeness for multi‑plant portfolios.
About the Author
With a passion for sustainability and a love for complex data, Toby helps manufacturers efficiently collect data from across their organization and get their EPDs done right. He’s especially interested in how AI can support human expertise, helping R&D and factory teams work faster, smarter, and with less friction.
