Independent verification is at the heart of every Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) in the IBU programme. It ensures that EPDs meet high standards of quality and transparency.

We have been able to keep verification fees constant since 2016. However, external verification costs have risen by approximately 40% in recent years, while the number of EPDs to be verified is growing rapidly. In addition, there is a limited number of qualified verifiers, which further exacerbates the situation on the market. Therefore, a revised fee schedule for EPDs in the IBU programme will come into effect on 1 September 2025, reflecting these price adjustments. However, the logo fees will remain unchanged.

Necessary adjustment of verification fees

With the current fees for verification and processing of an EPD amounting to €2,000, verification for the IBU is currently no longer cost-effective. In order to continue to guarantee reliable, high-quality and independent testing, the verification fee will be adjusted to €2,700 as of 1 September 2025. These new fees apply to all EPDs submitted from 1 September 2025 onwards.

Further changes to the schedule of fees as of 1 September 2025

  • Clearer wording and more precise regulations
  • Fee adjustments to cover costs (except for character fees)
  • Retention of existing character fees, but introduction of new character fee regulations for EPD tools
  • Clear naming and pricing for additional EPD-related services

Cost optimisation opportunities for declaration holders

We know that fee adjustments are a challenge, and we did not take this decision lightly. At the same time, we have created mechanisms to optimise costs for declaration holders:

  • Submitting multiple EPDs simultaneously: For products from the same production line with identical background reports, significantly reduced fees apply to the second and subsequent EPDs if they are submitted for verification at the same time.
  • Use software tools: Using an LCA tool leads to cost-effective verification for the EPDs developed from it. EPD tools are also a good way to create a large number of EPDs at low cost.

Rising numbers of EPDs and long-term strategy

The European Commission has confirmed that standard EN 15804+A2 is the binding basis for all environmental sustainability data in the construction industry. As a result, significantly more construction products will have to verify their environmental data under the new Construction Products Regulation in future. This will further increase demand for verification services.

The IBU is continuously working to optimise the verification process and is specifically expanding its capacities. This currently includes hiring and training additional external verifiers to meet the growing demand. We have also established our own verification company (IBU Verify GmbH) in order to meet future verification requirements and improve service quality.

The current fee schedule can be found here.