French Textile Eco-Score 2025: What It Means for Fashion

Introduction: Fashion’s Hidden Footprint

Every time you buy a t-shirt or a pair of jeans, you’re making an environmental decision—even if you don’t realize it. Behind every piece of clothing lies a story of water consumption, carbon emissions, toxic dyes, transport miles, and waste. Until now, much of that story has been hidden.

That’s about to change. In 2025, France will officially roll out its Textile Eco-Score, an environmental labeling framework for clothing. Instead of nutrition-style letters (A–E), the French system is based on environmental impact points calculated through life cycle analysis (LCA). These points are published on a public portal to allow comparison between products.

At LivableFit, our mission has always been to bring clarity to the fashion industry. While the French government is creating the first legally binding eco-label framework, we empower consumers everywhere to make eco-conscious shopping choices today. Here’s what you need to know about the French Eco-Score—and why LivableFit Advisor is more relevant than ever.

What Is the French Textile Eco-Score?

The French Textile Eco-Score is part of the Climate and Resilience Law of 2021. reinforced by the Anti-Waste and Circular Economy Law (AGEC). It requires brands selling in France to calculate and, eventually, display an environmental impact score for clothing.

Unlike some earlier “Eco-Score” pilots that used letter ratings (A–E), the official French system expresses results as a single numeric environmental cost score. This score represents a product’s overall footprint, based on a standardized methodology overseen by ADEME (the French Environment and Energy Management Agency).

The methodology is still under refinement and pending full EU harmonization, but France is moving forward with its own implementation.

Key Dates You Should Know

The Eco-Score rollout is gradual:

• September 6, 2025 → Publication of the final decree

• October 1, 2025 → Entry into force. Brands may voluntarily calculate and submit Eco-Scores to the public portal.

• October 2026 → Third parties (e.g., NGOs, watchdogs) may publish Eco-Scores without brand approval.

For now, the scheme is voluntary in publication, but any brand making environmental claims in France must use this standardized method once they start communicating impact.

Who Must Comply with the Eco-Score?

The regulation applies to all actors placing textiles on the French market:

• Producers: fashion brands and manufacturers creating garments

• Importers: companies bringing textile products into France

• Distributors: retailers, both online and offline

Scope:

• Applies to clothing primarily made from textile fibers.

• Excludes garments with more than 20% non-textile materials or containing electronics.

• No exemptions for small brands—compliance is universal.

This universal approach creates a level playing field, ensuring sustainability is measured consistently across the industry.

How the Eco-Score Is Calculated

To calculate a product’s Eco-Score, brands must use Ecobalyse, the French government’s official tool.

Ecobalyse applies a simplified Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), based largely on generic database values rather than factory-specific production data. This ensures comparability but has drawn criticism for not rewarding real production improvements.

Each product is assessed based on:

• Materials (cotton, polyester, wool, etc.)

• Textile processes (weaving, dyeing, finishing)

• Assembly location

• Transport and logistics

• End-of-life disposal

The 16 Environmental Categories

The calculation covers 16 indicators from the EU Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) framework, including:

• Climate change (GHG emissions)

• Acidification and eutrophication (air and water pollution)

• Human toxicity and ecotoxicity

• Land and water use

• Fossil and mineral resource depletion

• Particulate matter, ionizing radiation, ozone depletion

French-Specific Adjustments

The French method introduces adjustments beyond PEF:

• Microfibre penalties → accounting for shedding from synthetics.

• Repair and durability factors → rewarding repairability and assortment design (extrasec durability).

• Weighting factors → stronger emphasis on climate change and ecotoxicity.

What it currently does not include is full “long-lasting” emotional durability. Nor does it allow fully disaggregated production data; instead, generic averages must be used for comparability.

Benefits and Challenges of the Eco-Score

Benefits

• Consumer transparency → Shoppers can access standardized impact scores.

• Anti-greenwashing → Brands can’t cherry-pick metrics.

• Policy leadership → France is pushing EU debate forward.

Challenges

• Generic data reliance → Limits incentives for real supply chain improvements.

• SME burden → Smaller brands must adapt quickly.

• Not yet EU-wide → The EU Product Environmental Footprint (PEFCR) is the only method formally validated by the European Commission.

This is where tools like LivableFit Advisor™ come in—simplifying the complexity and making sustainability understandable for everyday shoppers.

Tools for Fashion Brands

Two main tools make Eco-Score compliance accessible:

1. Ecobalyse (official tool): he official French tool, mandatory for compliance.

2. Carbonfact Environmental Cost Calculator: English-language, Ecobalyse-aligned tool that streamlines calculations for international brands.

Market Impact and Consumer Behavior

Even as a voluntary scheme, the Eco-Score will influence the French market:

• Brands with low impact scores can differentiate themselves.

• NGOs and watchdogs will publish data, pressuring laggards.

• EU discussions on Digital Product Passports (DPPs) will likely align future methods toward PEF.

International players cannot ignore this—France is the second-largest fashion market in Europe, and its regulations often influence EU-wide standards.

Why LivableFit Is More Relevant Than Ever

The French Eco-Score is a breakthrough, but it’s limited:

• Voluntary (for now) and only applies in France.

• Based on generic data, not real production footprints.

• Still pending EU validation against the PEF method, which will underpin DPPs across the single market.

That’s where LivableFit Advisor™ steps in:

• 🌍 Global coverage → works beyond France.

• 🕵️ Greenwashing detection → flags vague claims.

• ✅ Certification checks → highlights GOTS, OEKO-TEX®, Fairtrade, B Corp.

• 📊 Carbon footprint scoring (1–10) → uses industry averages and certifications.

• 👗 Alternative suggestions → eco-certified products from trusted brands.

LivableFit empowers consumers to shop as if eco-labels were already mandatory everywhere.

How Shoppers Can Prepare Today

Even before the Eco-Score label shows up in French stores, here’s how you can shop more sustainably:

1. Check certifications → Look for GOTS, Fairtrade, OEKO-TEX®, Bluesign.

2. Use LivableFit Advisor → Paste a product link, get a sustainability score and alternatives.

3. Buy less, choose well → Opt for timeless, durable clothing instead of trend-driven fast fashion.

4. Repair and reuse → Extend garment life through mending or upcycling.

5. Support circular brands → Look for take-back schemes, resale, and recycled materials.

The Future of Eco-Labeling in Europe

The EU has adopted the PEFCR for apparel and footwear as the validated method (June 2025). This will underpin Digital Product Passports (DPPs), which will track materials, footprint, and recyclability across borders.

France’s Eco-Score is pioneering but will need to align with the EU framework for full harmonization. The transition is ongoing, and consumers will see increasing convergence between national and EU labels.

Conclusion: Transparency Is the Future

The French Textile Eco-Score is a milestone in the global push for sustainable fashion. While not yet harmonized with EU PEF rules, it sends a strong signal: fashion must become transparent and accountable.

For consumers, this is a step toward informed choices. For brands, it’s a call to prepare for full EU-wide eco-labeling and Digital Product Passports.

But you don’t have to wait. With LivableFit Advisor™, you can already evaluate products, avoid greenwashing, and discover sustainable alternatives that align with your values.

👉 Try LivableFit Advisor™ today and shop like eco-labels already exist.

FAQs

What is the French Textile Eco-Score?
An environmental cost score for clothing, established under the 2021 Climate and Resilience Law. It uses environmental points, not A–E letters.

When does it apply?
From October 1, 2025. Brands may voluntarily calculate and submit scores. From October 2026, third parties can publish them without approval.

Which products are covered?
Textiles primarily made of fibers. Excludes garments with more than 20% non-textile content or electronics.

How is the score calculated?
Using Ecobalyse, which applies LCA across 16 environmental indicators, with French-specific adjustments.

Why is LivableFit important if Eco-Score exists?
Because the Eco-Score is limited to France, voluntary at first, and based on generic data. LivableFit helps consumers everywhere evaluate fashion and find sustainable alternatives.