CSTB, explained: services, software, and EPD reality
Looking for EPDs tied to CSTB’s own products? Here is the twist. CSTB is not a material manufacturer. It is France’s public building science center that tests, certifies, trains, and helps run the country’s core environmental data hub. That matters for how you plan your EPD roadmap in France, and for where specifiers will look first.
Who CSTB is, in one glance
CSTB is France’s Scientific and Technical Center for Building, a public body that researches, tests, and certifies construction solutions. It also helps administer the national environmental data infrastructure used by designers applying the RE2020 rules. Think of CSTB as an air‑traffic controller for product data rather than a plane maker.
What CSTB actually sells
CSTB offers services, not commodity products. The portfolio spans technical assessments like ATec and ATEx, European Technical Assessments, CE‑mark certification support, lab testing, software and training. Its public database lists thousands of active certificates and assessments across many building categories, indicating a very broad service footprint as of November 2025 (CSTB, 2025) (CSTB “Search a document”, 2025).
So, does CSTB have EPDs for its “products”
No. Because CSTB does not manufacture construction materials, there are no product‑specific EPDs to cover. Building Transparency’s EC3 lists CSTB with zero current EPDs as of November 20, 2025, which fits their role as a service provider rather than a maker. Any legacy entries you might stumble upon are typically administrative artifacts, not sellable SKUs.
Where EPDs live in France
For France, the first stop is INIES, the national reference database for FDES and PEP. INIES reported 5,347 FDES and 1,733 PEP representing 307,429 commercial references on November 19, 2025, which shows how deep the catalog now runs for RE2020 work (INIES, 2025) (INIES homepage, 2025). Governance sits with Alliance HQE‑GBC, and CSTB serves as the administrator and technical operator of the base, a role documented by sector releases and INIES governance pages in 2024–2025 (Alliance HQE‑GBC, 2024; Construction21, 2025).
Software you will encounter
ELODIE by CYPE uses CSTB’s COMENV calculation core and is officially recognized for RE2020 environmental performance simulations, including RS2E outputs. If you are preparing French project LCAs, your design teams will likely ask for compatibility with this stack (CYPE, 2025) (ELODIE by CYPE, 2025).
Competitors you will meet on the spec route
If your products sell into France, expect to see PEP ecopassport for building equipment and HVAC, with accredited verifiers and a dedicated registry that feeds into INIES (PEP ecopassport, 2025). For cross‑border publishing, two large European EPD programme operators frequently used by French and EU manufacturers are IBU in Germany and the International EPD System in Sweden, both aligned to ISO 14025 and EN 15804 (IBU, 2025; EPD International, 2025). BRE also operates an EPD scheme in the UK tied to EN 15804 and publishes to GreenBook Live, which French exporters sometimes leverage for UK‑facing projects (BRE Group, 2025).
What this means for your portfolio
If you manufacture in France or sell into French projects, your coverage goal is simple, get your product‑specific declarations into INIES so design teams can pull them directly for RE2020. Without an FDES or PEP, engineers must rely on conservative default data, which acts like a scoring penalty in many bids. Even one EPD in a high‑volume line can shift win rates where carbon thresholds or owner policies give preference to verified data.
How to move fast without burning teams out
Pick an LCA partner who will handle cross‑site data collection with minimal lift from your plant and product teams. Ask them to map your range to the dominant PCRs used by your direct competitors, check program operator fit for your target markets, and plan renewals against PCR revision dates. Speed comes from tight scoping, early data extraction from ERP and utilities, and a publishing plan that covers your top movers first, then expands to variants. The cost is often dwarfed by one mid‑sized project you no longer lose on data grounds.
Quick links for deeper context
CSTB’s CSR and sustainability information is public and updated yearly, useful for understanding the institution’s priorities and how they intersect with testing and certification workflows (CSTB, 2024). You can also browse current counts and categories on INIES for a reality check on your product family’s competitive baselines. For global benchmarking, EC3 provides an aggregated view across operators and can spotlight gaps in your lineup.
Bottom line
CSTB does not need EPDs of its own, because it does not sell building materials. Its value to manufacturers is infrastructural, through evaluation services, the COMENV engine used in ELODIE, and the day‑to‑day running of the INIES backbone. If France is in your pipeline, your specability lives or dies by whether your declarations are present, current, and easy to find. Get those in, then build out variants. That is definitley the shortest path to more resilient specs.
References cited in text: INIES, 2025; Alliance HQE‑GBC, 2024; Construction21, 2025; CYPE, 2025; IBU, 2025; EPD International, 2025; BRE Group, 2025; CSTB, 2024–2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CSTB a manufacturer that should publish EPDs for its own products
No. CSTB is a public research, testing, and certification body. It does not sell construction materials, so there are no SKUs needing EPDs. EC3 lists no current CSTB EPDs as of November 20, 2025.
Where should French market EPDs be published to get used in RE2020 modelling
Publish to INIES for FDES and PEP. Designers use INIES data directly in RE2020 studies, often via tools that read the database or export RS2E outputs (INIES, 2025).
What program operators are common for French or EU manufacturers beyond INIES
Manufacturers often use IBU in Germany and the International EPD System in Sweden, both ISO 14025 and EN 15804 aligned. BRE’s scheme serves the UK market and publishes to GreenBook Live (IBU, 2025; EPD International, 2025; BRE Group, 2025).
Does ELODIE matter if we are only doing product EPDs, not whole‑building LCAs
Indirectly, yes. ELODIE by CYPE uses CSTB’s COMENV engine for RE2020. If your declarations are in INIES, project teams can model your products more precisely, which can improve your chance of being selected in designs that optimize carbon (CYPE, 2025).
How many CSTB “products” are there and how broad is coverage
CSTB offers services and software across many building categories. Its public portal lists thousands of certifications, assessments, and classifications, which signals a very broad remit, not a finite set of SKUs needing EPDs today (CSTB, 2025).
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.
