From zero to infinity. The environmental score used for all clothing in France is not a 10-point score or a scale from A to E, as is the case with food. Instead, it will be a figure that assesses environmental costs adjusted by a sustainability assessment, as announced by the Office of the Minister for the Environment and Transition, Christophe Besch, on Wednesday, April 3.
“It would be a no-brainer,” his adviser says. When it announced that it would be consulting with the textile and clothing industry to test an online calculation tool called Ecobalyse, it sounded unconvincing. The consultation, led by the Department for Environment and Transition, will bring together “approximately 60 stakeholders” from industry, commerce, employer representatives, consumer and environmental NGOs. They plan to prepare a draft ordinance for May. This label could become mandatory by 2025.
This document has been long awaited since the Climate Change and Resilience Act of 2021 was passed. Since then, 11 methods of calculating the environmental footprint of clothing have been trialled, but the government has yet to reach a final decision.
“Sustainability assessment”
Despite the complexity of the issue, time is of the essence right now. On March 14th, a bill to rein in France's “fast fashion” by introducing a bonus penalty system was approved by the National Assembly with the support of Mr. Beche. It will be placed on the Senate agenda under a fast-track procedure. However, penalties introduced to increase the price of clothing with high environmental impact will be indexed to this score. For this reason, the government is rushing to decide on countermeasures. It also declared that it complies with the “Product Environmental Footprint” (PEF) methodology adopted by the European Commission.
The environmental cost of an item is calculated throughout its 'lifecycle', from manufacture to end-of-life recycling. The government says the calculation is based on environmental cost factors established by Brussels, each of which defines areas of impact that affect the climate, degrade biodiversity and strain natural resources, especially water. said.
The government added three additional impacts: the use of chemicals, the release of microfibres, and the “export of used clothing abroad”, in other words the fate of discarded clothing, which is often shipped outside France.
This score is adjusted by a “sustainability rating” defined by five criteria.labeling Traceability at the manufacturing stage. Average commercial life of a garment. “Repair incentives” offered by manufacturers or retailers. It also includes the consumer's attachment to and consideration of the product.
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