If you’re in the textile or apparel business, your products are about to face the kind of scrutiny usually reserved for exam season at a French lycée. France’sEnvironmental Cost -colloquially known as Eco-Score, initially designed for food, is expanding into other sectors including textiles. At the same time, the EU’s Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR) are setting the stage for EU-wide sustainability reporting.
Why this matters now
The Environmental Cost and the EU’s Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR) are setting the stage for EU-wide sustainability reporting. Translation: Whether you make jeans, t-shirts, or high-tech performance gear, your supply chain is about to be measured, scored, and yes, potentially displayed in a numerical value for all to see.
And here’s the twist: Eco-Score and PEFCR look similar on the surface and, although they share many categories, they do play by different rules. For compliance and ESG professionals, the challenge isn’t just understanding them, it’s preparing product portfolios, data systems, and communications strategies for a whole new era of transparency.
What is the Eco-Score?
Eco-Score began as France’s answer to a deceptively simple question: “How can we help consumers make more sustainable and responsible choices at a glance?” The result is a consumer-friendly numerical rating score that hides a great deal of scientific and policy complexity beneath the surface. At its core, Eco-Score is built on a life cycle assessment (LCA), but it goes further by layering in context-specific adjustments to reflect broader sustainability goals.
For food products, inputs include agricultural practices, transportation modes, packaging, and biodiversity impact. In textiles, where the methodology is still being refined, Eco-Score digs into raw material sourcing—for example, the environmental differences between cotton, polyester, and recycled fibers. It also considers production impacts such as energy intensity, chemical treatments, and water consumption, as well as the mode of transport, where air freight predictably earns a penalty. Packaging and recyclability are factored in, along with a “fast fashion bias” that rewards longer-lasting garments over short-season collections. Finally, end-of-life scenarios such as opportunities for repair, reuse, and recycling can push a score up or down. In short, Eco-Score combines the rigor of LCA with a policy-driven system of bonus and malus factors. A t-shirt made from organic cotton and produced locally will not be judged the same as one made from virgin polyester and shipped halfway around the globe.
Who is affected, and from when?
At present, Eco-Score is mandatory only for food products, but its scope is rapidly expanding. The French Climate and Resilience Law (2021) explicitly calls for environmental labelling in other high-impact sectors, and textiles sit at the top of that list. The rationale is clear. Textiles account for between 8–10% of global carbon emissions—more than aviation and shipping combined. They are infamous for their water footprint, with a single cotton t-shirt consuming as much as 2,700 liters of water in its production. Synthetic fibers add another layer of concern, contributing significantly to microplastic pollution in waterways and oceans.
Recognizing this impact, France launched pilot projects for Eco-Score in textiles in 2022, signaling a clear direction of travel toward mandatory implementation. Authorities have indicated that compulsory labelling for apparel and textile products could arrive as early as 2025–2026. When that happens, companies selling into France will be required to display environmental scores directly on product labels, hangtags, or through digital product information. For an industry accustomed to fast-moving trends and globalized supply chains, the Eco-Score is shaping up to be the next must-watch disruptor.
Eco-Score vs. PEFCR: Similarities and differences in textiles
Both Eco-Score and PEFCR lean on life cycle assessment, but here’s how they diverge when applied to apparel:
Similarities
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LCA foundation: Both evaluate raw materials, production, transport, use, and disposal.
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Multi-criteria approach: Beyond CO₂, they account for water use, pollution, and biodiversity impacts.
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Goal: Drive greener design choices and provide transparency.
Differences
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Eco-Score = consumer label. Shoppers in France will see a big numerical score on clothing tags. PEFCR, by contrast, is primarily for business-to-business declarations and compliance reporting.
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Bonus/malus system. Eco-Score penalizes fast fashion traits (air freight, lack of recyclability, virgin materials) and rewards circularity (recycled fibers, repair programs, certifications). PEFCR sticks to pure LCA math.
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Database reliance. Eco-Score uses Agribalyse and French national data, while PEFCR allows other compliant LCA databases.
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Geographic scope. Eco-Score is French-specific; PEFCR is EU-wide.
Think of it this way: PEFCR is the textbook. Eco-Score is the pop quiz in front of your customers.
Strategic implications for apparel companies
For the textile and fashion sector, the arrival of Eco-Score and PEFCR could prove as disruptive as the rise of fast fashion itself. One of the most immediate effects will be the pressure for transparency. Consumers will soon be able to compare a €20 fast-fashion t-shirt with a €40 sustainably made one not only on price, but also on Eco-Score. This shift in visibility has the potential to flip purchasing decisions and redefine what consumers value in clothing.
Alongside transparency comes the challenge of reputation management. A poor Eco-Score may become the new scarlet letter for brands, signaling to shoppers that a company lags behind on sustainability. Even voluntary adoption in the early stages carries risks, since once the information is public, it will influence brand perception regardless of intent.
The complexity of apparel supply chains adds another layer of difficulty. With fibers grown in one region, dyeing and finishing in another, and final assembly often taking place on a different continent altogether, collecting accurate LCA data across such a fragmented chain will be nothing short of a Herculean task. Brands that cannot trace their processes in detail may find themselves disadvantaged by default values or penalized assessments.
Compounding these issues is the reality of a double compliance load. Apparel companies will not only need to prepare for France’s Eco-Score, but also for the EU-wide PEFCR framework and the requirements of the Green Claims Directive. This means products may require dual calculations and carefully managed reporting strategies to satisfy both national and European demands.
Yet it is not all risk—there is also room for advantage. Brands with strong ESG credentials, whether through organic materials, recycled content, or circular business models, could stand out in this new landscape. For those companies, the Eco-Score and PEFCR may function less as a compliance hurdle and more as a competitive edge, translating sustainability investments into visible consumer trust and market differentiation.
Practical guidance: How apparel companies can prepare
The first step for apparel companies is to conduct a thorough audit of their product lines. Businesses need to map which garments are sold in France, where Eco-Score rules will apply, and which are marketed more broadly across the EU under PEFCR. Within that mapping, it is wise to flag high-risk categories—fast fashion items with short life spans, products made predominantly from virgin polyester, or garments that rely heavily on air freight—since these are the most likely to score poorly.
Once the portfolio is mapped, the next challenge is tracing the supply chain. Apparel supply chains are famously fragmented, often spanning multiple continents and suppliers. Gathering reliable data on fiber sourcing, dyeing, finishing, water and energy consumption, and chemical usage is critical. Where suppliers cannot provide this information, companies must be ready to rely on default values, though doing so often leads to less favorable scores. Strong supplier engagement and transparency programs will therefore make a measurable difference in results.
With data in hand, companies should run pilot Eco-Score calculations on sample product lines. These early exercises help identify potential weaknesses and provide a benchmark against PEFCR calculations. By comparing both methodologies side by side, businesses can better understand where bonus or malus factors could significantly affect scores and anticipate the adjustments required for different reporting contexts.
Beyond data and calculation, strategy must also include integrating circularity into product design and business models. Shifting to recycled or certified fibers, exploring garment take-back programs, and offering repair or resale services are all ways to improve both environmental impact and Eco-Score performance. These initiatives not only earn potential scoring benefits but also align with growing consumer demand for sustainable fashion.
Communication is another critical piece of the puzzle. Apparel brands will need to decide how to present Eco-Score information to consumers—whether as a central selling point or as a compliance measure displayed more discreetly. Marketing teams must be prepared to handle questions from consumers, while customer service should be trained to explain what the score represents and, just as importantly, what it does not.
Finally, companies must build future-proof strategies. Regulations are evolving rapidly, and methodologies will continue to be refined as France and the EU work toward alignment. Businesses that establish flexible data systems, integrate compliance into wider ESG objectives, and continuously monitor regulatory updates will be far better positioned to adapt. In an industry that thrives on rapid change, agility in compliance will be just as important as agility in design.
Risks and opportunities
For apparel brands, Eco-Score could be both a compliance headache and a marketing superpower—depending on how quickly and seriously they prepare.
Conclusion: The new fashion trend is compliance
Eco-Score and PEFCR are not passing fads—they’re the new black in sustainability regulation. Apparel and textile companies that start adapting now will not only stay compliant but also earn a competitive edge in an increasingly eco-conscious market.
So here’s the call to action:
- Start with supply chain data.
- Pilot calculations before they’re mandatory.
- Turn compliance into a selling point.
Because in tomorrow’s fashion industry, it won’t be the runway looks that define winners and losers—it will be who scores A for accountability.
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