France Proposes Voluntary Environmental Scoring for Clothing

The eco-score system aims to help consumers make sustainable choices and could become mandatory in the future.

The French government has unveiled an eco-score system to assess the environmental impact of clothing, providing a numerical score based on factors like carbon emissions, water use, and recyclability.
The scoring system will be voluntary for brands and is expected to launch in spring 2025 following a public consultation and European Commission review.
The methodology aligns with the EU's Environmental Footprint Methods and includes additional criteria such as microplastic release and fast fashion production volumes.
The initiative seeks to combat fast fashion by encouraging transparency and discouraging overproduction, with potential ties to a future bonus-malus system under the Climate and Resilience Law.
Critics note the eco-score is not yet mandatory, though the government has indicated it could become obligatory in the future to ensure wider adoption.