Partnerships
& Recognition
The independence and rigour of IRICE rest on a solid institutional and scientific ecosystem: accreditation, international partnerships, impartial governance and qualifying training.
Accreditation
IRICE is accredited by the French Accreditation Committee (Cofrac), the national body for recognising the competence of certification bodies in accordance with standard ISO/IEC 17065.
Cofrac Accreditation No. 5-0655, Product, Process and Service Certification, scope available at www.cofrac.fr
Covered standards
- ✓ NCO 25.05 — Effinature New Build
- ✓ EVO 25.05 — Effinature Renovation
- ✓ HOR 25.05 — Effinature Landscaping
- ✓ HVE 25.05 — High Ecological Value (add-on)
Type: Fixed ISO/IEC 17065 accreditation
Zone: International
Resources: 3 qualified (2 employees + 1 external)
Subcontracting: None
BREEAM & BRE Global Partnership
IRICE is an authorised certification body for BREEAM New Construction assessments, in collaboration with the Building Research Establishment (BRE), responsible for the international BREEAM standard.
Partnership scope
- • BREEAM assessment for new construction projects only
- • 9 domains: management, health & wellbeing, energy, transport, water, materials, waste, ecology, pollution
- • Certification issued by BRE Global, globally recognised standard
- • Complementarity with Effinature for a holistic sustainability approach
Note: For BREEAM, IRICE acts under ISO/IEC 17065 for assessment, while BRE issues the certification under its standard. Effinature focuses specifically on biodiversity.
Multi-criteria assessment
BREEAM assesses 9 key sustainability domains in real estate according to BRE international standards.
Qualitel Training
In partnership with Qualitel Formation, IRICE delivers the Biodiversity Partner qualification, a 4-level training programme for architects, engineering firms, ecologists and project owners.
Integrating biodiversity into projects
Awareness — 1 day (7h) — No prerequisites
Becoming a Biodiversity Partner NCO & EVO
Qualification — 2 days (14h) — Certificate valid for 3 years
Biodiversity Partner HOR (Landscaping)
Qualification — 1 day (7h) — Coming soon
Biodiversity Partner HVE (Operation)
Qualification — 1 day (7h) — Coming soon
Training programmes are eligible for OPCO funding. Registration is online via IRICE; validation is provided by Qualitel Formation.
Discover training programmes →
Qualiopi-certified training organisation — Training activities
Biodiversity Partners
Biodiversity Partners are qualified professionals who support project owners in Effinature and BPS processes. They act as independent experts throughout the certification process.
Scientific governance
Impartiality and scientific rigour are guaranteed by a 40+ expert scientific committee and an Impartiality Committee structured in 3 independent colleges.
Scientific and Advisory Committee (BSC)
experts in biodiversity, ecology and soil science
The BSC validates the Effinature standards, participates in the development of assessment criteria and ensures the scientific relevance of the scoring grids.
Impartiality Committee
independent colleges
- • Independent college — External experts with no connection to IRICE
- • Client college — Representatives of interested parties
- • Internal college — IRICE staff and management
Institutional recognition
Effinature certifications are integrated into urban planning documents and public procurement specifications at national level.
Local Urban Plans
Integration into local plans for biodiversity requirements on building permits
Development Zone Regulations
Effinature specified in development zone specifications
Public procurement
Referenced in technical specifications and environmental clauses
CSR policies
Integration into ESG strategies of developers and investors
Operators & specifiers
Developers, urban planners, social housing operators and local authorities have chosen Effinature certification to document the biodiversity of their projects. This choice engages an accredited certification body — the most demanding form of evidence available on the market.
Why accreditation makes the difference. A non-accredited voluntary label relies solely on the issuer's word. A Cofrac-accredited certification engages a body whose competence, impartiality and procedures have been verified by the national accreditation authority. For the investor, the financier or the judge, the evidential value is incomparable. Certification vs label: understand the hierarchy →
Developers and constructors
Kaufman & Broad
K&B integrates Effinature certification into its biodiversity policy, alongside its "Zero net tree felling" commitment. The certification is presented in their Labels & Certifications section as a structuring tool created by IRICE in 2009.
View K&B page →Sogeprom
The real estate subsidiary of Societe Generale, Sogeprom uses Effinature as part of its CSR commitments to measure and certify the biodiversity of its projects.
View Sogeprom website →Les Nouveaux Constructeurs
LNC uses Effinature certification to support its residential projects with a measurable approach to biodiversity.
View LNC commitments →ATLAND Residential
ATLAND integrates biodiversity certification into its development process to meet the growing ESG documentation requirements of its investors.
Fonciere BMG
BMG certifies its projects with Effinature to feed its biodiversity reporting and strengthen the environmental traceability of its portfolio.
View BMG website →Institutional operators
La Poste Immobilier
La Poste Immo positions biodiversity as one of its 4 sustainability pillars. Its most ambitious projects aim for Effinature certification to attest to a structured, independently verified biodiversity approach.
View La Poste Immo article →CDC Habitat
France's largest social housing operator, CDC Habitat uses Effinature certification to document the biodiversity of its social and intermediate housing projects.
SEM OPPIDEA
The public developer for the Toulouse metropolitan area, OPPIDEA specifies Effinature certification in its development zone regulations to ensure biodiversity is considered in development projects.
Prescribing local authorities
Est Ensemble
A territorial public establishment of Greater Paris, Est Ensemble integrates Effinature certification into its development specifications.
Grand Paris Sud
The Grand Paris Sud agglomeration specifies Effinature for development projects on its territory.
City of Nancy
Nancy uses Effinature certification to support its renaturalisation and urban biodiversity policy.
Accredited certification: what it changes for the specifier
A developer or local authority that specifies an accredited certification (rather than a voluntary label) is legally protected. ISO/IEC 17065 accreditation guarantees that the body issuing the certificate has been verified by an independent national authority. The resulting biodiversity claim is enforceable within the meaning of Directive (EU) 2024/825 and Regulation (EC) 765/2008. This is the difference between a promise and evidence.
Featured projects
Reference projects that demonstrate the reach of Effinature certification across France and internationally.
Marengo Multimodal Transport Hub
Toulouse, France
BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group + A+ Architecture + Europolia. Effinature HOR biodiversity certification in progress. 12,000 m² mass timber hub, completion 2028.
Covered by: ArchDaily, Designboom, Metalocus, BIG.dk
View case study →Decathlon Anubhava
Bangalore, India
Effinature EVO certification in progress. 5,800 m² with 1,451 m² of green spaces across 5 biodiversity zones. First international Effinature project.
View case study →Join the IRICE ecosystem
Whether you are a developer, investor, architect or local authority, IRICE is your partner for integrating biodiversity into your projects with accredited certification.