Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD)

If you make or sell apparel in France, the new “environmental cost” or France Textile Eco-Score label is about to touch everything from your bills of materials to your product pages. This guide cuts through the noise: what’s required, when, how the score is calculated, where it must be shown, and how to prepare without derailing your team.

Overview of the France Textile Eco-Score regulation

France has finalized the France Textile Eco-Score (coût environnemental) label for textiles — a single score based on life cycle assessment that aggregates 16 environmental indicators (e.g., greenhouse gas emissions, water use, fossil resource use, microfibre release) into consumer‑facing “environmental points.” Basically, the higher the points, the higher the impact. The methodology is coordinated by the Ministry of Ecological Transition with ADEME, aligned with the EU’s Product Environmental Footprint (PEF), and tailored to textiles (official methodology and decree).

Summarising, France notified the European Commission of the framework; the Commission validated the methodology earlier this year. Final regulatory texts are approved, with entry into force on October 1, 2025.

Timeline and scope

Key dates and milestones

Scope of the France Textile Eco-Score

• Products covered: New apparel and remanufactured apparel placed on the French market for consumers (decree, Art. D. 541‑241).
  • ✅ Included
    • Textile apparel (produits textiles d’habillement) that are new
    • In addition, apparel that has undergone remanufacturing (remanufacturage) — i.e., garments re‑worked to be placed back on the market
  • ❌ Excluded
    • Non‑apparel textiles e.g., home textiles like curtains, bed linen, towels
    • Footwear — covered by a different product methodology
    • Second‑hand garments without remanufacturing
    • Industrial/professional textiles not intended for consumer use
    • Accessories not classified as apparel (e.g., handbags, belts) unless they are integral to a garment
    • Costumes, PPE, uniforms — unless explicitly marketed as consumer apparel
• Channels: Both In‑store and online; Textile Eco-Score displayed on physical labels, QR codes on product pages, and product pages themselves.
• Voluntary vs. mandatory: From October 1, 2025, publication is possible and encouraged; a one‑year transition precedes mandatory display. Third parties (distributors, NGOs, consumer orgs) gain the right to publish if the brand does not, once the mandatory phase begins for the France Textile Eco-Score
• Companies: All companies, not only French or but also international, must comply with the France Textile Eco-Score if they are selling products in the French market.

How the France Textile Eco-Score is calculated

Core methodology

• Single score in points: Based on LCA across 16 indicators adjusted with parameters (e.g., durability; microfibre release). Higher points indicate higher environmental impact (methodological notice).
• PEF alignment: Built on the EU’s PEF approach with textile‑specific additions (e.g., durability coefficient).
• Reference level: Calculations attach to a product reference; in limited cases, to a sales unit.
• Durability coefficient: A component of the methodology affecting the France Textile Eco-Score (webinar slide deck).
• Multi‑component articles: Calculation rules provide guidance on multi‑element articles and accessory defaults.

Illustrative score differences

For example, independent reporting has shown large gaps between lower‑impact and higher‑impact garments: e.g., a France‑made jean at 1,125 points vs. a typical fast‑fashion jean at 4,435 points; an organic cotton T‑shirt at 443 points vs. 1,005 points for conventional cotton (Le Monde coverage).

Rules to note about the France Textile Eco-Score

What brands must provide and when

• At the point of purchase: The environmental cost must be accessible at the time of purchase, with rules for display and the official signposting (“signalétique”) (graphic charter).
• Where to put it: Directly on labels in store, via QR codes lead to the product page, and on e‑commerce product pages.
• Up to date score: Rules define how to keep the score updated as products or data change.

Who can publish the France Textile Eco-Score

• Brands, importers, market operators: Responsible to calculate, communicate, and keep the score up to date. As has been noted in the decree, they must provide info publicly and additional info for authorities via the portal.
• Third parties: Anyone can calculate and communicate a product’s environmental cost. During the first year from October 2025, they need either the manufacturer’s consent or that the manufacturer has already published. After the transition, third parties may publish when brands do not.

Basically, sooner or later a score will be published for your brand. The question remains whether you will be the one controlling it or not.

Coexistence with private scores

• No confusion or contradiction: While private aggregate scores can coexist, they must not contradict or confuse consumers relative to the official environmental cost. If a private score is shown, the environmental cost must be shown alongside it.

Documentation and audits

• DGCCRF readiness: Brands and any publishing party must keep calculation records available for the DGCCRF (French market surveillance authority) to verify claims (DGCCRF guidance).

Data needed and portal info for the France Textile Eco-Score

The official portal and assets

• Public portal: The environmental cost declaration portal is designated and will go live on September 15, 2025 (portal link). Ecobalyse underpins the official calculation environment (Ecobalyse community page).
• Method note: The Ministry hosts the visual guidelines; a methodological notice accompanies the decree/arrêté to ensure consistent application. To clarify, a technical webinar is scheduled to walk through the final methodology details, for which you can register here.

What data you’ll need to assemble for the France Textile Eco-Score

Summarising the decree, you will require a list of data points which may vary slightly depending on the category o the product as well as the processes used to manufacture and finish it. To illustrate, the team at Carbon Trail has studied the regulation and presented an example below:

An example of data used to calculate the France Textile Eco-Score

How Carbon Trail helps brands comply and compete

Carbon Trail is built for textile supply chain data complexity and regulatory‑grade traceability. Here’s how we streamline your path to the French environmental cost label while giving you levers to reduce it:

• Bulk Data Upload and Transformation: To streamline compliance, you can save months of manual work in mapping and translating your product data (multi‑component products, materials, weights, finishes) to align with Ecobalyse calculations.
• Centralize product data: Centralize all product collections and suppliers in one place with version control.
• ADEME/Ecobalyse approved calculations: Compute environmental indicators aligned to the official methodology and assemble the single environmental cost score, including durability inputs and use‑phase assumptions.
• Bulk processing at scale: Run thousands of SKUs, manage ranges and representative products, and propagate updates as components or suppliers change.
• Labeling and omnichannel display support: Generate compliant assets for product pages, QR landing pages, and in‑store labels.
• Portal‑ready exports: Produce the data packages and public/authority fields expected by the declaration portal, with a complete audit trail for DGCCRF checks.
• Design‑to‑impact insights: Scenario analysis

Learn about all of Carbon Trail's current and upcoming features to simplify compliance here.