Requirements in this space move often — treat this page as a map of what to look into, not a substitute for checking current regulation directly before making a compliance decision.
European Union
Several EU-level initiatives touch EPDs without being EPD regulations themselves. The Construction Products Regulation (CPR) governs conformity requirements for construction products sold in the EU and is being revised in ways that increasingly reference environmental declarations. The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) requires large companies to report on sustainability matters, including supply-chain impacts that EPD data can help substantiate. The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) introduces the concept of a Digital Product Passport — a structured digital record of a product's environmental and material information, expected to draw on data of the kind EPDs already report. None of these directly mandate EPDs across the board, but the direction is toward EPD-backed data becoming more, not less, load-bearing in EU compliance.
France
France's RE2020 environmental regulation requires life-cycle carbon assessment for new buildings, with thresholds that tighten over time, and relies on product-level environmental data — sourced from EPDs registered in France's national database, INIES — to calculate a building's embodied carbon. In practice, this makes having an EPD in INIES close to a practical necessity for products competing in the French construction market.
United States
There's no single federal EPD mandate, but a growing number of states have adopted "Buy Clean" procurement policies — California and Colorado were early adopters, with other states introducing similar legislation — that set embodied-carbon limits or require EPD disclosure for materials used in publicly funded construction projects. Coverage typically starts with a specific set of materials (structural steel, concrete, and similar) and has expanded over time. Requirements and covered materials vary by state, so check the specific state's current procurement policy.
Other markets
Requirements exist or are emerging in other markets too — Canada, Australia, and parts of Asia have their own procurement policies, green building rating systems, and national EPD program infrastructure at various stages of maturity. Coverage of individual markets beyond the ones above will expand here over time.
Frequently asked questions
Does an EPD valid in one country automatically satisfy another country's requirements?
Not automatically. An EPD built against EN 15804 or ISO 21930 provides a strong common baseline, but individual jurisdictions can require additional disclosures, specific program operator recognition, or local-language documentation. Check the specific regulation or procurement policy you're responding to.
How often do these regional requirements change?
Regularly enough that this page should be treated as a starting orientation, not a compliance reference — embodied-carbon and product-transparency regulation is an active policy area in the EU, France, and a growing number of US states, with new requirements and phase-in dates introduced fairly often.
Where can I check the current status of a specific regulation?
Directly with the issuing body or government agency — for EU regulations, the European Commission's own publications; for US state policies, the relevant state procurement or environmental agency. Third-party summaries (including this one) can be outdated by the time you read them.
Sources
- European Commission, Construction Products Regulation (CPR), Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), and Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR)
- INIES, French national database for construction and building environmental and health data
- State of California and State of Colorado, Buy Clean procurement legislation