France’s textile ‘ecoscore’ - a way to make fashion greener?
What if you could figure out the environmental impact of your next outfit, simply by looking at its price tag? By establishing an “ecoscore” for clothes, the French government hopes to make consumers aware of the environmental cost of their purchases and influence them to opt for durable, eco-friendly choices. The plan, approved by the European Commission, is set to take effect on October 1, but will it sway French shoppers?
When it comes to clothes, are we ready and able to buy better?
Europeans buy nearly 26 kg of clothes each year and throw around 11 kg in the trash in the same interval, according to a study conducted by the European Environment Agency. This, largely, can be explained by the rise in fast fashion - brands catering to changing trends in fashion at breakneck speeds and affordable prices.
These brands are often accused by environment activists of flooding lower-quality products into the market. Made with materials flown in from across the world, these clothes do not last as long and incentivise regular purchases, which in turn leads to further pollution. In addition, the process for making these clothes remains extremely resource-intensive. For example, making a pair of jeans requires anywhere between 3,500 and 7,000 litres of fresh, clean water, according to data collected by French water providers.
As a result, the French government has been working on a way to make the environmental impact of clothes evident for consumers. Years in the making, the French “ecoscore” system, approved by the European Commission, was unveiled on September 9, 2025.
Higher the score, higher the environmental impact
The textile ecoscore system has been inspired by the pre-existing “Nutri-score” system, which allows consumers to have a basic understanding of the food they buy via the five-point letter grade system - A being the “best” and E being the “worst”.
Going from zero to an infinite value, the textile ecoscore aims to make the environmental impact of clothes understandable to consumers. Some of the factors considered include the greenhouse gas emissions of the production process, the impact on biodiversity, the amount of water and natural resources used, the item’s durability and the pollution associated with its production. The higher the ecoscore, the greater its negative impact on the environment.
However, the system’s reliability is yet to be tested. At the same time, companies that already provide a score assessing the environmental impact of clothes have raised concerns about the French government’s proposed ecoscore. One such company, Clear Fashion, has levelled critiques that the ecoscore falls short by judging all clothing items - be it a T-shirt, a pair of jeans or a jacket - on the same scale, without accounting for their differences. Another shortcoming: Clear Fashion says the French government’s evaluation also does not take into consideration the social impact of textile production, like the condition of workers at factories.
Bruno ESTEBAN GARAY
Translated by Tanishk SAHA