Wednesday 1 April 2026
INIES guide on packaging end-of-life
Version 2 of the INIES guide on packaging end-of-life in working progress.
An update to the reference document for modelling the end-of-life of packaging in French EPD called FDES (environmental and health product declaration) is currently underway. Developed by ELYS Conseil for the INIES association, this second version aims to improve and update the data used in FDES for construction products.
It builds on a first version published in 2024, nowadays widely used by FDES declarants, LCA practitioners, and verifiers.
Packaging modelling: a key challenge for consistency in French EPDs
Since the application of the NF EN 15804+A2 standard in 2022, requirements related to the environmental modelling of construction products have become more demanding. Packaging must now be modelled more accurately, both for its production and end-of-life phases.
In practice, this can be challenging for LCA practitioners, due to:
- the selection of end-of-life treatment scenarios (recycling, incineration, landfill),
- the calculation of net output flows,
- the integration of “energy used as raw materials”,
- the management of biogenic carbon for certain materials.
Without common references, each declarant would apply their own assumptions. This can generate methodological inconsistencies between FDES, additional exchanges during verification processes, and discrepancies between declarants.
A guide developed to harmonize LCA practices
To address this need for harmonisation, ELYS Conseil developed a reference document for INIES in 2024, providing default data and assumptions related to the end-of-life of packaging.
This guide includes:
- data representative of the French context for packaging waste management,
- harmonised assumptions compatible with EN15804+A2 calculation rules,
- LCA models directly integrable into all existing LCA calculation tools,
- guidance on how to use these data.
The guide was also subject to a stakeholder consultation to ensure methodological robustness and facilitate its adoption by industry stakeholders.
Version 2 expected in 2026
To incorporate user feedback and reflect updates in LCA background databases, a version 2 of the guide is currently being prepared, with publication expected in 2026.
Among planned improvements, you will find:
- integration of new packaging materials,
- update to LCA background data,
- refining of some modelling assumptions.
How to access the document?
Version 1 of the guide is available free of charge upon request from INIES : inies.fr/le-programme-inies-met-a-disposition-des-donnees-sur-la-fin-de-vie-des-emballages/