Would you like to simply analyse the environmental impact of your products? There are certifications that require you to measure it starting today. Indeed, the entry into force of the 2020 Environmental Regulation (RE 2020) was formalised by the publication of the decree of 29 July 2021 and the order of 4 August 2021. It marks a significant change in the construction process by setting up a stricter framework than the RT 2012.
It confirms the main directions expected by construction professionals. It establishes clear requirements regarding the characteristics and calculation methods of energy and environmental performance for new buildings and extensions in metropolitan France. Here is how it is deployed for manufacturers of Electrical and Electronic Equipment, or EEE.
1. The main lines of the RE 2020 rollout
The RT2012 is replaced by the 2020 Environmental Regulation (RE). Thus, the construction sector has a clear and precise environmental roadmap.
1.1. The 3 main objectives of the RE 2020
The RE 2020 maintains the three fundamental objectives of the RT 2012, namely:
- Reducing energy consumption (energy sobriety and decarbonisation);
- Reducing greenhouse gas emissions (reducing the carbon impact of building construction);
- And guaranteeing thermal comfort and coolness during periods of high heat.
To achieve these objectives, the RE 2020 integrates a new feature, the calculation of the building's Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This takes into account the estimated carbon impacts of all the materials and equipment used in its construction and use.
1.2. The 5 performance criteria
Under the RE 2020, five performance criteria must be met, in particular:
- Optimising the energy design of the building, regardless of the energy systems used.
- Limiting primary energy consumption.
- Reducing the climate change impact associated with this consumption.
- Minimising the environmental impact of the building's components.
- And avoiding discomfort situations during the summer.
The RE 2020 also aims to improve the energy performance of buildings and limit their climate impact by encouraging the use of decarbonised energy.
1.3. The 6 new performance indicators
The official texts surrounding the RE2020 confirmed the new performance indicators that building professionals will have to take into account, namely: the bioclimatic needs for heating; cooling and lighting (Bbio); primary energy consumption (Cep) and non-renewable primary energy (Cep, nr); the carbon impact linked to energy consumption (Ic énergie) and to materials and equipment (Ic construction); as well as the discomfort degree-hour (DH) which measures the intensity and duration of thermal discomfort periods during the summer.
2. A gradual rollout by building type
The application of the RE 2020 is limited to new buildings and has been implemented gradually depending on the building category concerned.
2.1. January 2022: residential buildings (multi-family and single-family housing)
The new requirements of the RE 2020 apply first to residential buildings subject to a building permit application or a prior declaration filed from 1 January 2022.
2.2. July 2022: office buildings and primary or secondary education buildings
Office buildings, buildings intended for primary or secondary education, as well as the associated car parks, are only subject to the RE 2020 requirements for applications filed from 1 July 2022.
2.3. January 2023: extensions and temporary buildings
The RE 2020 requirements apply from 1 January 2023 to extensions of residential, office, and primary or secondary education buildings, as well as to temporary buildings.
2.4. Deferred date for other buildings
The requirements for other building categories (shops, restaurants, hospitals, industrial buildings, etc.) will be defined later. In the meantime, these buildings remain subject to the RT 2012 requirements.
3. Environmental communication: individual PEP vs collective PEP
In this context, manufacturers must communicate about the environmental performance of products by producing PEPs (Product Environmental Profiles) for electrical, electronic and HVAC equipment. The objective is to integrate these results into the calculation of the building's overall impact.
3.1. What is a PEP?
The PEP is a concise document of a few pages, which presents the environmental characteristics of a product in four main sections:
- All the general information relevant to understanding the product's function and the scope of the study.
- The percentage proportions of the product's total mass for each category of materials (metals, plastics, other and miscellaneous).
- The tables of calculated environmental impacts, presented as numerical values, including each stage of the life cycle. 8 indicators are mandatory, and 19 are optional.
- Additional environmental information and LCA scenarios, such as impact-reduction strategies at the manufacturing, distribution, installation, use and end-of-life stages.
The PEP must be submitted with an accompanying report, which includes all the information about how the LCA was carried out (input data, tools, methodologies). This document is particularly useful at the verification stage.
3.2. PEP validity criteria
PEPs are governed by the XP C08-100-1 standard and PCR edition 4.0, and are valid for 5 years. For a PEP to be valid, it must undergo mandatory verification by an independent third party, since July 2017. Once verified, PEPs are made accessible from the PEP ecopassport programme database as well as from the INIES database.
3.3. Individual PEP vs collective PEP
There are two types of PEP: individual environmental declarations (one or more products from a single manufacturer) and collective environmental declarations (a product common to several manufacturers, produced by a group or a representative body).
A collective declaration must meet several conditions: apply to a representative product and clearly identify the products covered; these products must share the same function and a homogeneity in the parameters influencing the environmental indicators; contain the list of authorised parties responsible for placing products on the market; include a validity framework.
To increase the visibility of the company and the product, the mastery of the approach, the opportunity for innovation through eco-design and the showcasing of environmental performance, the individual PEP brings real added value — especially as responsible purchasing policies (public tenders) integrate environmental criteria and offer the company a competitive advantage.
4. A new regulatory framework, PCR edition 4.0
PCR edition 4 was published for the type III environmental declaration programme. It takes into account the requirements of various regulations (EN 50693, EN 15804, RE 2020, the European Commission's PEF) and presents new features such as the declared unit, the breakdown of module B (use phase) and the consideration of benefits and loads beyond the life cycle (module D).
Thanks to this solid reference framework, manufacturers can now create PEPs compliant with international, European and French standards. To simplify your compliance, Qweeko automates the LCA of your products: simplified data collection, automated calculation of environmental impacts, and generation of compliant and easily verifiable reports.