French Environmental Labeling
Decree Under EU Review
France officially submitted its Environmental Labeling Decree for Textile Products to the European Commission on February 13, 2025.
This submission marks a key step toward the mandatory display of environmental impacts for textile products sold in France.
This decree is part of the French Climate Law (2021) and defines how textile brands must calculate and communicate the environmental cost of their products.
Key Regulatory Milestones
- Notification Number & Official Reference: Full decree 2025/0086/FR
- Submitted to the European Commission: 13/02/2025
- End of standstill period: 14/05/2025
During this 3-month period, the European Commission and EU Member States can review the decree and raise objections if they see conflicts with EU law or the single market.
What’s Next?
➨ No Objections: France will adopt and enforce the decree.
➨ Comments Raised: France may revise certain elements before implementation.
➨ Major Objections: The European Commission could demand significant modifications.
Given the decree’s alignment with the European Green Deal and close collaboration between France and the EU, France expects no major objections.
Why is this important?
Once approved, all brands selling textile products in France must comply with new environmental impact disclosure rules.
Peftrust is closely monitoring developments and will provide updates as they occur.
Who is affected, and what does it mean?
- Who: Any brands, importers, or retailers selling new or remanufactured textile products in France, as well as any company making environmental claims about their textiles.
- Implication: These rules introduce increased transparency and require accurate impact scoring and publicly accessible environmental data.
How should brands display the impact?
- A company must disclose its official impact score if it makes any environmental claim about a textile product.
- This information must be easily accessible at the time of purchase (in-store or online).
- A public database will be created to store and verify environmental impact data.
These new transparency rules ensure consumers receive reliable and comparable environmental impact information.
How will compliance be enforced?
- Record-Keeping: Brands must keep detailed records of their calculations and be prepared for audits.
- Methodology Updates: Scores must be updated within 12 months if the methodology changes.
- Enforcement Platform: French authorities will oversee compliance using a centralised platform.
How is the environmental impact calculated?
- Each product receives a single points-based score reflecting its entire life cycle—covering raw material extraction, manufacturing & processing, distribution, consumer use, and end-of-life. This score follows a standardised methodology outlined by ministerial decree.
- By introducing unified scoring rules, France aims to provide consumers with precise, comparable environmental data, driving more sustainable choices and supporting broader climate goals.
Methodology & Display Rules Published
We now turn our focus to the official Order published alongside the Decree. The official Order details the methodology for calculating environmental impact and the rules for displaying the score on textile products.
This Order sets the final framework for how brands must calculate and display their environmental impact in preparation for the decree’s enforcement.
The French government remains confident in the approval process, as the methodology has been designed to align with EU sustainability objectives.
Scope of the Methodology
- The environmental cost is calculated for each product reference (different material compositions, colors, or grouped product sets).
- The decree applies to 11 product categories, which include: Boxer shorts / Briefs, Underpants, Socks, Shirts, Jeans, Skirts / Dresses, Swimwear, Coats / Jackets, Trousers / Shorts, Sweaters, T-shirts / Polo shirts
- Some product are excluded, such as: Household linen, Single-use textiles, Textile products containing electronics, Clothing where more than 20% of the material composition is not yet covered by the model.
How is the Environmental Cost Calculated?
- The impact is modeled using 16 life cycle impact categories
- Two additional categories have been introduced by France: 1/ Export outside the EU (penalizing products exported as waste) and 2/ Microfiber emissions (to capture pollution from synthetic fibers).
- A durability coefficient is factored into the impact score, considering:
- The number of product variations in the market
- Whether repair services are available
- Traceability information provided to consumers
- Data Requirements for Calculation:
- To calculate the score, brands must provide:
✔️ Product type ✔️ Finished product weight ✔️ Materials used & percentage (if >2% of product mass) ✔️ Geographical origins of weaving, dyeing, and manufacturing
- Brands can provide additional data for more accuracy:
✔️ Geographical origins of raw materials & spinning ✔️ Printing process used (if applicable) ✔️ Fabric washing process (if applicable) ✔️ Remanufactured product status ✔️ Use of air transport & additional finishing processes ✔️ Accessories included (e.g., buttons, zippers) ✔️ For non-physical durability calculation (Selling price, Number of references in the market segment, Company size & repair service availability, Visibility of traceability information at the point of sale)
- Brands may either use specific data or rely on default values provided in the methodology
Display Rules: How Brands Must Communicate the Score?
- A standardized label must be used, featuring:
- The environmental cost in impact points.
- The score per 100g of textile product.
- The phrase “Environmental Cost” in a clearly visible format.
- For online sales, a direct link to detailed product impact data is required.
- For physical stores, the score must be displayed at least as prominently as the price tag.
- If printed on the product or packaging, the label must be visible and legible
- Comparison with other labels: 1/ If a brand displays other environmental impact scores, the French Environmental Cost must be shown with at least equal prominence. 2/ The label design cannot be altered and must follow the official French government guidelines.
Comparison Between the New and Old Order on Environmental Labeling for Textile Products
| Category | Previous Order (Nov 2024) | New Order (Feb 2025) | Impact for Brands |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope of Application | Excluded single-use textiles, textiles with >20% non-textile material, textiles with electronics. Used predefined size categories for calculations. | Same exclusions, but predefined size categories removed. More flexibility in defining product references for calculation. | Simplifies reporting by removing size restrictions. Brands can define their product references more flexibly. |
| Product Categories Covered | Applied to 11 textile categories (e.g., socks, jeans, t-shirts, dresses). | Same 11 textile categories remain covered. | No change in applicable products. |
| Environmental Impact Calculation | Followed 16 EU Environmental Footprint categories. Included two additional impact categories (Export outside EU & Microfiber emissions). | Same as previous order | No change in applicable products. |
| Durability Coefficient | Durability coefficient weighted by 40% product range size, 40% repair incentives, 20% traceability. | Same as previous order | No change in applicable products. |
| Data Requirements for Calculation | Mandatory: product weight, material composition, weaving/dyeing origins. Optional: raw material origins, spinning, printing, fabric washing, accessories. | Same as previous order | No change in applicable products. |
| Display Rules & Labeling | Standardized label required, must be visible in stores and online, but no rule on comparison with other eco-scores. | Same standardized label, but now required to be equally visible if other eco-scores are displayed. | If brands use multiple eco-scores, the French Environmental Cost must be just as visible. |
| Display Format | Score displayed in impact points of textile product. Required to be visible but no strict rule on prominence. | Score displayed per 100g, and must be at least as visible as any other eco-score if displayed. More strict guidelines on label placement. | Brands displaying multiple environmental labels must ensure equal visibility for the French Environmental Cost, which remains expressed per 100g of textile product. |