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Knowledge Article
What is a FDES?
A FDES (Fiche de Déclaration Environnementale et Sanitaire) is a standardised document used in France to provide comprehensive information about the environmental and health impacts of construction products and equipment.
They are often considered to be the French equivalent of an EPD (Environmental Performance Declaration) that has been supplemented with health information. They provide transparent data that can help architects, specifiers and other constructions professionals to better assess their product selections and ensure they have the right environmental and health safety credentials for their projects.
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What does a FDES cover?
FDES looks at data across the entire lifecycle of a product, from cradle to grave. This includes raw extraction, manufacturing, installation and use, and end-of-life disposal. This holistic approach is designed to give specifiers a complete understanding of a material’s environmental footprint and potential contribution to occupier health and wellbeing.
Key sections of the document are:
- Product description: key details about the product and its manufacture, including its raw materials, components, packaging and technical specifications.
- Environmental impact: lifecycle analyses of the product, including data on energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and waste generation associated with the manufacture and use of the product.
- Health information: how the product can contribute to the health and comfort of internal spaces, including considerations such as thermal, lighting, and acoustic performance. Also, details of potential health risks posed by the product, such as if it contains hazardous ingredients or can emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
- End-of-life considerations: how the product can be recycled, reused, or disposed of at the end of its useful life.
It is important to note that, like EPDs, there are different types of FDES:
- Individual FDES which covers one product manufactured by one manufacturer.
- Collective FDES which cover similar products manufacturerd by different manufacturers.
- “Tailor-made” FDES which are created for a specific project or contract.
Are there requirements for FDES?
The calculations rules and content requirements for FDES are laid out in the NF EN 15804+A2. Compliance with this standard must be verified with independent third-party accreditation given by an authorised programme. For construction products, this is INIES. This is valid for five years, after which, products must be reassessed.
Are FDES required by the building regulations?
In France, FDES are often used to comply with environmental regulations. For example, the RE 2020 Environmental Regulation requires project teams to develop a lifecycle assessment (LCA) of the entire building that covers everything from the raw materials used in its construction to end of life. This legislation applies to any new offices, residential buildings, and schools constructed from 1st January 2022, and is designed to encourage the creation of more environmentally and socially sustainable buildings across the country. It is also important to be aware that RE100 is set to become increasingly stringent in 2025, 2028 and 2031 to encourage continual progress towards France’s decarbonisation goals.
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FDES are a crucial part of this process, providing transparent information that can be easily compared to allow the right products to be selected for the right projects, and the environmental performance of a building to be easily and accurately calculated.
FDES and Kingpan Light, Air + Water
As a whole Group, Kingspan is committed to Planet Passionate, our 10-year sustainability program aimed at positively impacting climate change, circularity and nature protection. Through Planet Passionate, we are determined to reduce our manufacturing carbon emissions (CO2e) to as close to zero as technically possible, ultimately helping us to deliver products with lower embodied carbon (LEC) to the construction industry.
By creating FDES for our key ranges, we can not only communicate the credentials of our products to the French market in a transparent and validated way, but going through the rigorous analysis and creating clear datasets also enable us to ensure that environmental and health safety credentials are put at the heart of our product development.
We currently have ten products with a FDES, covering our Ecobac, Ecofeu, Ecovision and Ecofil ranges. These can be viewed on the INIES database or on our product pages for France:
- ECOVISION PN facade frame for natural ventilation, air supply and smoke extraction
- ECOVISION VL, ECOVISION BC and ECOVISION OS facade frame for natural ventilation, air supply and smoke extraction
- ECOFEU DV 110 smoke and heat exhaust ventilator
- ECOBAC 160 smoke and heat ventilator
- ECOFEU 160 and ECOFEU 110 SCE smoke and heat ventilator
- ECOFEU PREMIUM ALU 160 and ECOFEU PREMIUM ALU 110 SCE smoke ventilators
- ECOLUX FIXED rooflight
- ECOLUX PREMIUM ALU FIXED rooflight
- ECOFIL PREMIUM rooflight without upstand
- ECOFIL rooflight without upstand
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Kingspan Light, Air + Water
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