Regulations
Environmental labeling: the timeline
In France, the General Secretariat for Ecological Planning is responsible for defining the deployment plan of the French environmental display; priority was first given to the textile and furniture sectors.
Fashion and apparel
End of March 2024: the "Ecobalyse" tool goes online for testing and consultation.
May 2024: the implementing text opens for consultation.
Autumn 2024: voluntary deployment of the environmental display.
End 2024: the implementing decree expected by year end.
During 2025: the shift from voluntary to mandatory display, expected before the end of 2025.
Furniture
2024 to 2026: methodological work and consultation.
2027: introduction of the mandatory environmental display.
These steps aim to progressively establish environmental display practices in these key sectors, to improve product transparency and durability. Europe is also discussing environmental display: if it were to impose a methodology, France would have to align with it.
Food
The calculation method for the food sector's environmental display is still being adjusted and negotiated with stakeholders, because of three topics: biodiversity, livestock farming conditions, and the quantity of agro-ecological infrastructure.
Why start now?
Why set up the environmental display now, even while it is voluntary? If you tick at least one of the following boxes, your company is advised to start today:
Your company may turn to financial institutions for new investment.
Your brand is distributed in France and in other European countries.
Your company runs a CSR policy.
Your company wants to comply with European and French regulation.
Your company wants to present solid files to benefit from certain bonuses (eco-modulation) or more favourable classifications (customs duty rates).
Your brand needs to stand out from competitors.
Your brand would benefit from reinforcing customer trust.
Even if the display were not mandatory, being able to answer it yields information that is very useful for other regulations that necessarily concern your company, or simply gives you a head start on your market.
For regulatory compliance
On 1 January 2023, the AGEC law made a number of pieces of information about production processes and article composition mandatory, covering a large number of companies. The implementing decree of Article 29 of the 2021 Energy-Climate law strengthened the extra-financial reporting of financial institutions on climate and biodiversity criteria. The CSRD, Due Diligence and anti-deforestation (EUDR) regulations, applicable now or very soon for many European companies, raise the bar on traceability and on the responsibility of final principals across value chains; the possible financial sanctions are extremely high, by design.
To communicate without greenwashing risk
Article 3 of the Green Claims directive precisely frames brands' use of ecological claims. The EU requires professionals to justify and substantiate every environmental claim. Beware of marketing campaigns without reliable, provable information.
To reduce production costs and improve margins
Being able to present reliable, precise information on provenance, certification and quality will always be a considerable asset with institutions and organizations, to justify better rates (customs duties vary from 6.3% to 12% depending on material origin or making-up location) or bonuses (linked to environmental label certification, recycled material incorporation, and so on).
