December 2025 EPD News by Region
Deadlines, rulebook tweaks, and rating upgrades made December a busy month for product data. If you sell into markets that score whole‑life carbon, these moves either boost the value of a product‑specific EPD or make it the only practical ticket to play.
Global snapshot
The International EPD System said it surpassed 18,000 valid EPDs this year and reminded publishers that registrations submitted on or after December 29 would be recorded as January entries. That matters if you want your 2025 tally on the board (EPD International, 2025). citeturn0search1turn0search0
European Union
The European Commission published a delegated regulation that makes life‑cycle GWP disclosure part of energy performance certificates for new buildings larger than 1,000 m² from 2028, with all new buildings captured from 2030. Expect more tenders to ask for product‑specific, third‑party verified EPDs so project LCAs pass muster without conservative defaults (European Commission, 2025) (European Commission, 2025). citeturn0search3turn0search9
France
INIES continued its rapid growth. As of December 26, the homepage listed 5,517 FDES and 1,813 PEP, representing 323,812 commercial references that modelers can pull directly into RE2020 tools (INIES, 2025) (INIES, 2025). From January 1, 2026, only EN 15804+A2 FDES remain active in INIES, bringing the A1 era to a close earlier than nominal expiries for some files (Cerema, 2025). citeturn3search2turn14search0
United Kingdom and Ireland
The UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard team reported that 205 projects took part in the 2025 pilot, with a December pre‑launch update confirming changes shaped by that feedback. For manufacturers, that is a clear signal that upfront carbon limits are moving from whitepaper to spreadsheet checks in design reviews (Construction Industry Council, 2025). citeturn5search0
United States
Two new industry‑wide Smart EPDs show the embodied carbon of domestically produced structural steel is down by more than 10 percent compared to the 2021 baseline. If steel is part of your assembly, those numbers can tip a spec in tight WBLCA comparisons, provided your downstream processes are equally well documented in EPDs (AISC, 2025). citeturn1search0turn1search2
Canada
Ottawa’s updated Standard on Embodied Carbon in Construction now requires whole‑building LCAs on major projects and adds structural and reinforcement steel alongside concrete. The original 10 percent GWP reduction target for ready‑mix concrete remains the first rung on the ladder, and December analysis urged provinces to align procurement to accelerate uptake (Treasury Board Secretariat, 2025) (Pembina Institute, 2025). citeturn2search2turn2search0turn2search1
Australia and New Zealand
NABERS awarded Australia’s first Embodied Carbon rating on December 10. That is a practical proof point that verified product data translates into public ratings for assets, not just paperwork in a drawer (NABERS, 2025) (NABERS, 2025). A few days later, GBCA confirmed product‑specific EPDs published with EPD Australasia now earn 7 Responsible Products Value points under Green Star, up from 5, which nudges teams toward specific declarations over generics (EPD Australasia, 2025). citeturn7search0turn7search4
East Asia
Beijing hosted the Sino–Swedish Sustainable Low‑Carbon Value Chain Forum on December 8, spotlighting life‑cycle data exchange and verification as trade enablers. For exporters into China and Sweden, the thread is simple. Comparable, third‑party verified EPD data speeds due diligence (EPD International, 2025). citeturn6search3
Middle East and North Africa
While no December regulation materially changed EPD workflows, one late‑November development continued to ripple this month. EPD Saudi Arabia joined the International EPD System as a new licensee, giving manufacturers a local pathway to publish recognized declarations across MENA (EPD International, 2025). citeturn9search3
Latin America
On December 11, the Climate Bonds Standard approved Minergie as a proxy for low‑carbon buildings in Mexico. Finance follows measurement, and lenders will increasingly expect product impacts to be verifiable and machine‑readable, which is where product‑specific EPDs shine in project LCAs (Climate Bonds Initiative, 2025). citeturn10search0
Africa
South Africa hit its final stretch toward the December 7 Energy Performance Certificate display deadline for large public and private buildings, with government reporting thousands of registrations and issued certificates in the weeks prior. Building‑level compliance is not an EPD mandate, yet it trains the market to quantify and disclose, which tends to raise the floor on product data quality too (Government of South Africa, 2025). citeturn12search5turn12search0
What manufacturers should do next
Mark your calendars for the EN 15804+A2 switchovers, then validate that your declarations appear in the registries project teams actually query. Where rating tools have upgraded the value of product‑specific EPDs, make sure your highest‑volume SKUs are covered first. Finally, tighten your data collection so verification is fast and repeatable. It sounds obvious and it’s definately worth it when the next tender wants numbers, not promises.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the EU GWP rule in December 2025 matter for product EPDs?
When whole‑life carbon is calculated and disclosed on energy performance certificates, design teams have a stronger incentive to use product‑specific, third‑party verified data. That increases the pull for EPDs that can be trusted in building LCAs (European Commission, 2025).
Do I need an INIES FDES or is a generic European EPD enough for France now?
For RE2020 workflows, INIES is the source design teams use. From January 1, 2026 only EN 15804+A2 FDES remain active in INIES, so plan A2‑format FDES publication if France is in scope (INIES, 2025) (Cerema, 2025).
What changed in Australia for EPDs this month?
NABERS issued the first embodied carbon rating and Green Star increased Responsible Products Value for product‑specific EPDs to 7, which strengthens the ROI case for specific declarations in project submissions (NABERS, 2025) (EPD Australasia, 2025).
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.
