The Effinature certification process, step by step

Effinature certification rests on a clear separation of roles: the project owner runs the project, with optional support from a Biodiversity Partner who advises them, while IRICE assesses and then decides. Whoever advises never assesses.

A Biodiversity Partner is a professional qualified by IRICE and listed in a public directory. The qualification is obtained on completion of a 14-hour training course covering the New Constructions and Evolution standards. View the training.

This structure ensures the independence required of an accredited body. The process unfolds in six stages: application, admissibility review, contracting, on-site assessment, review and decision, then issuance of the certificate. Here is the pathway, step by step.

1. 1
   You

   The application to IRICE

   Everything starts with an application submitted to IRICE, filed online after creating your account. In it you describe the operation, the target standard (for example NCO 25.05 for new construction) and the scope concerned. The documents to provide include the applicant's identification, the location and nature of the project, the available ecological studies, the plans and, where relevant, any biodiversity diagnosis already carried out. The more complete the file is at submission, the smoother the rest of the pathway.

2. 2
   IRICE

   The admissibility review

   IRICE then carries out the admissibility review. The aim is to check that the file is complete, that the operation genuinely falls within the scope of the standard and that the conditions for assessment are met. If documents are missing, IRICE requests them before proceeding.

   Key point: admissibility is not approval. Declaring a file admissible means that the review can begin, not that certification is secured. The final decision remains conditional on the outcome of the on-site assessment.

3. 3
   You IRICE

   Contracting

   Once the file is admissible, the relationship is formalised through a certification contract, signed off the platform between the applicant and IRICE, setting out the scope, the mutual commitments and the financial terms. It is the Planning Manager (Responsable Planification) at IRICE who validates this step and triggers the scheduling of the assessment. This marks the file's move from administrative review to operational assessment. Effinature is part of the toolset run by the NORMAXIS group, which supports project owners from the pre-diagnostic through to a signed certification.

4. 4
   IRICE

   The on-site assessment

   An IRICE assessor applies the standard criterion by criterion, based on concrete evidence: studies, plans, surveys and observations conducted on site. The assessment is carried out by the certification body itself, never by anyone who has advised the project, which ensures a consistent reading of the standard from one operation to another. The assessor does not decide on certification: they produce an objective report that feeds the review.

5. 5
   IRICE

   The review and certification decision

   The review of the file and the decision are entrusted to people other than those who carried out the assessment. This internal separation, required by ISO/IEC 17065 and verified by Cofrac under accreditation No. 5-0655, is the foundation of impartiality: no one decides on their own work. The decision may be positive, subject to reservations, or negative. It rests solely on the outcome of the assessment against the requirements of the standard, with no commercial consideration. Details on irice-certification.com.

6. 6
   IRICE

   Issuance of the certificate and the public registry

   Where the decision is favourable, IRICE issues the certificate and lists the operation in the public registry of certified operations. This listing makes the certification visible and verifiable by third parties, lenders, buyers, local authorities and public bodies, something a mere self-declaration cannot achieve. The registry constitutes third-party, enforceable proof of the project's biodiversity performance.

7. HVE
   Follow-up over time

   Maintaining performance after delivery

   A certification is not an endpoint. Maintaining performance over time is organised through the HVE extension, which provides for recurring conformity checks. These checks verify that the ecological commitments remain effective after delivery and throughout the life of the operation, ensuring that the value of the certification endures for the benefit of all the stakeholders concerned.