RE2020 makes EPDs virtually essential for selling construction products in France. Discover why a custom company EPD changes everything, backed by the numbers.
The RE2020 is the environmental regulation that now governs almost all new construction in France: single-family homes, multi-family housing, offices, and commercial buildings. It pursues three goals (better energy efficiency, improved summer comfort during heatwaves, and a reduced carbon footprint), measured through six indicators with thresholds that tighten every three years. On the carbon side alone, for example, thresholds are dropping from approximately 640 to 740 kg CO₂ eq./m² (multi-family/single-family) in 2022 to about 415 to 490 kg CO₂ eq./m² by 2031—a significant decrease that puts increasing pressure on the entire construction supply chain.
To meet these thresholds, engineering firms calculate a building's carbon impact product by product: concrete, joinery, heating elements—every component used in construction is quantified individually. And that is precisely where the EPD comes into play.
RE2020 does not explicitly require every manufacturer to publish an EPD. However, in practice, every product installed in a new building must be quantified in one way or another in the building's carbon calculation. Engineering firms then have two options:
This is where the mechanics become a direct commercial issue: an EPD is effectively mandatory, not just legally, if you want to remain competitive in the new construction market.
Nothing illustrates the stakes better than a concrete example presented during our latest webinar on the subject. For an access hatch, the default environmental value available on INIES shows a carbon weight of 276 kg CO₂ eq./m². A manufacturer who had their own EPD created for the same type of product arrived at 23 kg CO₂ eq./m², a 12-fold difference between the two.
With RE2020 thresholds constantly dropping, an engineering firm or builder has a direct incentive to choose a product with its own EPD over one evaluated by default, provided performance is equal: it allows them to significantly reduce the overall carbon calculation of their construction and meet the required thresholds more easily. In other words, your EPD doesn't just "check a regulatory box"—it becomes a concrete selection criterion when choosing between your product and a competitor's.
RE2020 only concerns new construction. However, EPDs have value far beyond that:
Without your own EPD, your product is evaluated using the default data, which is almost always the most penalizing option available on INIES. In practical terms, this can be enough to push an engineering firm toward a better-equipped competitor, especially in public procurement or tenders where carbon thresholds are becoming full-fledged selection criteria. It is a loss of opportunity that is difficult to quantify precisely, but very real: as RE2020 thresholds continue to tighten, the gap between a product with an EPD and one without will only continue to widen.
The good news: you don't need to create an EPD for your entire catalog to see real benefits. Starting with your best-selling product, or the one most present in public tenders, is already a strategic first step that pays off. We detail the complete, step-by-step method in our guide to creating your EPD in 5 steps.
At Altopi, we support construction product manufacturers in creating their EPDs, from product scoping to publication on INIES, with one goal: to ensure your EPD becomes a real commercial advantage, not just a checked box.
👉 Talk to an Altopi expert about your EPD project
Your company's sustainable performance
