Understanding the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) and modelling construction products with openLCA

• Understand the main normative and regulatory requirements: EN 15804+A2 and its French national complement, the INIES programme (France's national EPD database and programme for construction products), relevant decrees and orders, RE2020, and related frameworks
• Explain the content and structure of an FDES declaration
• Identify the stakeholders and resources involved in an FDES project
• Understand the constraints and success factors in managing an FDES project

• Build a structured and well-documented LCA model
• Apply normative and regulatory requirements within LCA software using a real-world database
• Make informed decisions on data selection based on sensitivity considerations

MODULE 1

Day 1 — Afternoon

• Normative and regulatory framework for FDES declarations: LCA, environmental product declarations for construction products (nomenclature, EN 15804+A2, INIES programme, CPR, and related instruments), building-level LCA
• Running an FDES project: timeline, process, and key stakeholders
• Fundamentals of environmental communication and ecodesign

Day 2 — Morning

• FDES-specific methodological requirements: functional unit, life cycle stages, Module D, indicators, system boundaries, allocation, data quality, and validity scope
• Comparative analysis of FDES declarations

MODULE 2

Day 2 — Afternoon

• Interactive introduction to SimaPro: interface, databases, and impact assessment methods
• openLCA exercises tailored to EPD production

Day 3 — Morning

• Calculations and result interpretation
• Group discussion of practical cases

Day 3 — Afternoon (optional — Module 3)

• Calculating Module D and interpreting results
• Introduction to and application of the Ev-DEC method (developed by EVEA) for tracking energy flows, biogenic carbon, and recycling content

• Structured presentations
• Group discussions
• Practical exercises using SimaPro
• Work with real-world databases (e.g. ecoinvent)
• Training materials provided to all participants

• Specifiers, environmental project managers
• Client-side project owners
• HSE/CSR managers
• Product developers
• LCA practitioners or those looking to develop LCA expertise

Prerequisites

• Module 1: none
• Module 2: completion of Module 1 learning objectives (see above) 

• At the start and end of the training: knowledge validation test
• During the training: ongoing assessment of learning progress through case studies, quizzes, practical exercises, and similar activities
• Individual certificate of completion awarded upon conclusion of the training

Companies may draw on the services of a skills development operator (OPCO — opérateur de compétences) to fund this training. To identify your OPCO, visit the France Compétences website: Which OPCO applies to me?