How long is an FDES published on INIES valid before it needs renewal?

Five years, provided the underlying production processes remain materially unchanged. Significant factory upgrades or formula shifts trigger an earlier update.

Can my existing EN 15804 EPD be uploaded to INIES as-is?

Only if it was verified to the French FDES PCR and translated into French. Otherwise you will need an adaptation review by an accredited verifier.

Does INIES charge a listing fee for each declaration?

Yes, there is a modest administrative fee per file plus the verifier’s cost, but the exact amount changes annually and is set case by case.

Is the XML file mandatory for PEP ecopassport profiles too?

Yes from January 1 2025, both FDES and PEP uploads must include the machine-readable XML according to INIES schema v4.

INIES: France’s Essential EPD Hub

What Exactly Is INIES?

INIES started in 2005 as a public-private partnership and now hosts more than 6 500 third-party-verified environmental declarations (FDES + PEP) (INIES, 2025). It acts both as program operator and as the official database referenced by the French government, making it the single door manufacturers must walk through if they want their data used in life-cycle calculations for RE2020 building permits.

RE2020 Makes INIES Non-Negotiable

France’s energy-and-carbon code, RE2020, requires designers to pull product impacts only from INIES or from default proxy datasets. Choose the proxy route and your product’s carbon score balloons by up to 30 % in many material categories (CEREMA, 2024). Listing a verified FDES can be the ticket that keeps you in the spec when the design team scrubs every kilogram of CO₂-eq.

FDES or PEP? Pick the Right Jacket

FDES (Fiche de Déclaration Environnementale et Sanitaire) covers building materials and follows EN 15804+A2.
PEP (Profil Environnemental Produit) serves electrical, HVAC, and electronic gear under EN 50693. Declare under the wrong scheme and your file is rejected before it even reaches the verifier. A quick check of product function against these two standards avoids weeks of rework and a lot of frustation.

Publication Timeline in Three Moves

Verification booking: Accredited verifier signs on; current lead time hovers around six weeks (AFNOR, 2025).
INIES review: Administrative check adds roughly ten working days.
Go-live: Once posted, the declaration is downloadable for free, instantly usable in the RE2020 calculator. A well-organised data package can still move faster; teams that centralise utility bills, purchase logs, and plant maps cut the drafting phase by half.

Data Format Upgrades in 2025

All new FDES must now include BIM-compatible XML plus a summary in French and English. The XML feeds directly into building-energy software, saving design offices manual typing. Skip the XML and consultants may charge translation fees that dwarf the cost of adding the field upfront (INIES, 2025).

Beyond France: Will an INIES File Travel?

Most European buyers accept EN 15804+A2 declarations regardless of hosting platform, yet some German federal tenders still insist on IBU listings. Export-oriented firms therefore publish twins—one on INIES, one on IBU—using the same underlying LCA to keep maintenance painless.

What to Ask Your LCA Partner

How do you collect multisite production data without drowning our plant managers?
Can you map our bill of materials to both FDES and IBU PCRs in one model?
What buffer time do you leave for verifier questions so we avoid last-minute panic? If the answers feel vague, keep shopping.

Key Takeaways

INIES is more than another repository; it is the gateway to the French construction market. Nail the scheme choice, prep clean data, and your declaration can land in the database within a couple of months. That speed turns compliance into a competitive edge before your rivals even notice the spec changed.