Effinature, urban development
Certifying the biodiversity of your development operations
Urban developers, public development companies, ZAC operators and land subdividers: Effinature certification provides proof of the ecological performance of your neighbourhoods, delivered by IRICE, a third-party certification body, from the design of public spaces through to monitoring in operation.
Certification by IRICE
the certification body
ISO/IEC 17065
third-party certification
Assessment and decision
by IRICE, as a third party
Public registry
of certified operations
Cofrac accreditation No. 5-0655 · Certification of products, processes and services · ISO/IEC 17065 · Scope available on www.cofrac.fr. This accreditation covers the EFFINATURE and EFFINATURE HVE certification programmes.
What certification brings you
Three challenges specific to development
Green-and-blue network at neighbourhood scale
Reconnecting public spaces to the territory's ecological corridors, preserving existing habitats and creating green continuity between blocks, well beyond the individual plot.
Expectations of granting local authorities
Meeting the ecological requirements written into land disposal specifications and concession agreements, and setting your offer apart in response to public procurement.
Fighting soil artificialisation (net zero)
Demonstrating land sobriety in a net-zero artificialisation logic, valuing living soils, open ground and de-sealing within the operation.
Why a land developer certifies its biodiversity
A land developer does not build a single, isolated building: it shapes a piece of the city, with its roads, public spaces, swales, squares and green continuities. At this scale, biodiversity is a structuring component of the urban project. Granting local authorities, public development establishments and metropolitan areas now write strong ecological requirements into their land disposal specifications and concession agreements. Answering those expectations with a mere statement of intent is no longer enough: verifiable proof is needed, measured on the ground and recognised by a third party independent of the land developer. That is precisely the role of Effinature certification, delivered by IRICE, the certification body.
Certifying a development operation means substantiating a set of challenges that play out at the scale of the neighbourhood, not the individual plot. The green-and-blue network reconnects public spaces to the territory's ecological corridors and creates continuity between blocks. De-sealing and stormwater management reduce soil sealing, manage water in the open through swales and rain gardens, restore the water cycle and cool outdoor spaces. Land sobriety demonstrates the fight against soil artificialisation in a net-zero logic, valuing living soils and open ground. Finally, landscape and public spaces offer quality vegetated areas, favourable to ordinary wildlife, pleasant for users and durable over time. Effinature covers the whole process, from a free pre-diagnostic through to a signed certification.
The right standard
The HOR standard, dedicated to development
The choice depends on the type of operation and its stage of progress.
For development operations, Effinature relies on the HOR standard, designed for urban project ownership. It assesses ecological performance at the neighbourhood scale: ecological site diagnosis, preservation and creation of habitats, green-and-blue network, integrated stormwater management, de-sealing, soil quality and climate comfort of public spaces. The assessment rests on concrete evidence (studies, plans and field surveys) examined at each stage of the project. A neighbourhood does not come to life on its delivery day: the biodiversity it hosts is built over time. That is why development certification can be extended by monitoring in operation with the HVE standard, which verifies that the created habitats are genuinely maintained, managed as the standard requires and preserved over the years. This continuity reassures granting local authorities and future managers: the performance announced at the design stage is indeed reflected on the ground, year after year.
NCO 8.1
New construction
Housing, offices, mixed-use. 2 phases: design and construction.
Learn more →EVO 8.1
Renovation
Operations on existing buildings.
Learn more →HOR 8.1
Development
Mixed-use zones (ZAC), subdivisions, public spaces, roads.
Learn more →HVE 8.1
High ecological value
Performance does not stop at handover.Performance maintained through recurring conformity checks.
Learn more →The role of the Biodiversity Partner and IRICE
The field assessment and the certification decision both rest with IRICE, the independent certification body, which applies the standard in a consistent and documented way. Beforehand, a Biodiversity Partner, a professional qualified by IRICE, may advise you and prepare your file, without ever taking part in the assessment. This strict separation between advice and verification is the foundation of a credible certification. You can discover the body's full approach on irice-certification.com.
Enforceable proof for your stakeholders
Faced with local authorities, lenders, plot buyers and residents, certification turns an ecological commitment into enforceable proof. It secures your environmental claims, enhances your operations in calls for projects and sets your offer apart in a market where biodiversity is becoming a decision criterion. Every certified operation is listed in the public registry of certified operations, open to all.
The journey
How to start a certification
Registration
Account and SIRENE data, free, in a few minutes.
Application
Operation, Biodiversity Partner, target standard.
Review and contract
IRICE reviews admissibility, the contract is signed online.
Certification
An assessor is appointed, IRICE decides, the certificate is listed in the public registry.
2 to 4 months between the application and the decision, as a guide.
Ready to certify the biodiversity of your development operations?
Create your account and submit your certification request, or explore the standards suited to your operations first.
Training your teams.
A one-day course allows your in-house teams to understand what biodiversity changes in a project, to know what to ask an ecologist for, and to check what they are given.
7 hours · No prerequisite