Introduction to Environmental Labeling and French Eco Score: What Brands, Manufacturers, and Retailers Need to Know

Introduction to Environmental Labeling and French Eco Score: What Brands, Manufacturers, and Retailers Need to Know

Article key points:

• The French Eco Score, now officially known as Environmental Cost (“Coût Environnemental” in French), is a labeling system mandated by the Climate and Resilience law to communicate the environmental impact of clothing and textiles to consumers.
• The score is calculated based on 16 indicators, including carbon emissions, water use, and land use, and it incorporates additional factors like sustainable agriculture, microfiber pollution, and brand practices that promote overconsumption.
• Compliance with the French Eco Score labeling is required for all companies selling apparel and textiles in France, with full implementation expected by 2026,.
• The French Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion, along with other agencies, provides the Ecobalyse tool, an open-source solution to help companies calculate their Environmental Cost.
• Companies may also choose to work with third-party providers to collect data and calculate their French Eco Scores at scale.

The French Eco Score is now “Environmental Cost” (Cout Environmental) 

As the deadline for implementation draws closer, the regulation previously known as “French Eco Score” has now been renamed Environmental Cost, or “Coût Environnemental”, in French. Despite the new official name, many stakeholders continue to refer to the regulation as French Eco Score, so we will use the names interchangeably. This article will cover the basics of what brands, retailers, and suppliers should know about the new environmental labeling system, which will soon be mandatory for all clothing sold in France. 

What is the French Eco Score, or Environmental Cost? 

The French Eco Score requirement was established by the Climate and Resilience law in 2021,  which emerged from the French Anti-Waste for Circular Economy Law (Loi AGEC). Originally called French Eco Score, and now renamed to “Environmental Cost”, this law is a way for clothing and textile manufacturers and brands to communicate the environmental impacts of their products to consumers. The hope is for these consumer-facing labels to influence purchasing behavior and incentivize brands and manufacturers to create sustainable products by putting their environmental impact front and center. 

Along with the name change, the French Eco Score’s labeling presentation has also evolved. Rather than a “score” on a scale from A (best) to E (worst), the revised Environmental Cost will show the French Eco Score on product labels in terms of a concrete number, with lower numbers indicating lower environmental impact. 

How are French Eco Scores calculated?

The factors that comprise a product’s French Eco Score include 16 indicators, from greenhouse gas/carbon emissions, water use, land use, energy use, mineral resource use, and toxicity to humans and other life, among others. The methodology is based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) principles and is a simplified version of the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology.

In addition to the technical framework associated with the PEF, French Eco Scores include considerations for:

• The environmental benefits of practicing sustainable agriculture
• The impact of microfibers when they’re released into the environment
• Brand practices that lead to consumer overconsumption, such as extremely low-priced items and very wide product line varieties

These additional factors make it possible for French Eco Scores to differentiate ultra-fast fashion brands from traditional brands, and even further from “ethical” brands—even if objective production measurements are similar. 

How do French Eco Score requirements compare to other nation-specific systems?

French Eco Scores are unique among a number of global product impact labeling conventions, both those created by governments and private organizations. 

For example: 

• Unlike the Nordic Swan Ecolabel or Germany’s Green Button, the French system uses life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology rather than criteria that a product either meets or fails to meet. 
• French Eco Score labeling is also more comprehensive than single-issue labels like Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) or the Better Cotton Initiative. 
• While many labeling systems use symbols, stamps, certifications, or letter grades, the French Eco Score provides a number that indicates no product is simply “good” or “bad” but instead informs consumers about the relative impact of each product they can choose. 

Who is required to comply with French Eco Score requirements? 

The French Eco Score labeling requirement applies to companies selling apparel and textile products to the French market. This includes brands, distributors, importers, and others. As with other environmental regulations, there may be exemptions based on company size and production volume, though explicit exemptions have not yet been defined 

When will compliance with French Eco Score labeling be required? 

Outside of apparel, textile, and clothing production (which are in progress as of early 2025) the food industry is already complying with French Eco Score requirements by displaying scores on all packaging. 

The law will become mandatory for textile and clothing brands, manufacturers, and distributors one year after the law takes effect, which is expected in 2026. 

Voluntary compliance period

At the time of this publication, displaying French Eco Scores is voluntary. Additionally, during this voluntary period, only brands can calculate and submit the environmental costs of their products to the public portal. Once the law takes full effect in 2026 (after the year-long voluntary period), any third party selling a product in the French market can publish a score on behalf of the brand without prior approval. 

This means, once compliance is mandatory, brands that have not already published their French Eco Scores are at risk of others doing it on their behalf.

To ensure the most accurate French Eco Scores, brands should plan and build their internal processes for calculating and publishing them during the voluntary period. Doing so now will avoid a rush to comply, or even worse, less accurate scores and the potential for extraneous environmental costs to be associated with products if a third-party seller calculates a score once compliance becomes mandatory.

How can companies comply with French Eco Score requirements? 

Brands and manufacturers can comply with French Eco Score requirements through a variety of data collection methods. For those already using an environmental assessment technology solution, it’s likely you will be able to calculate your French Eco Score with your existing environmental assessment methods. 

For those who don’t already have a solution in place, or whose solution is not able to calculate a French Eco Score, the French Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion (MTECT), Ministry of Economy and Finance, and the Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME) have developed the Ecobalyse tool. This free, open source, tool enables companies to calculate the Environmental Cost (“Coût Environnemental”)—or French Eco Score—of their products to achieve a baseline level of compliance at no cost. 

Comply with French Eco Scores with the leading sustainability data intelligence solution

Worldly is the exclusive technology platform of the Higg Index suite of social and environmental assessment tools. Our customers span from global brands and retailers to Tier 1 and Tier 2 manufacturers, and beyond. With Worldly, brands, retailers, and suppliers can track and analyze their supply chain data for business resilience intelligence, regulatory compliance, environmental footprint, human and labor conditions, and more. Learn how you can tap into your supply chain data to prepare for oncoming regulations like French Eco Score labeling and the EU Digital Product Passport with Worldly.