Ecolabelling

Environmental labelling aims to inform consumers about the environmental impact of the products and services they consume. Using a ‘numerical value’, it makes it possible to reflect the impact of the various products placed on the market, and thus to:

help consumers to choose products and services with less impact,
encourage producers to produce in a more environmentally-friendly way.

Product labelling applies to all products in a given market sector, and complements the labels that distinguish ‘better’ products that meet specific specifications. Like price, which reflects the ‘financial cost’ of products, environmental labelling aims to reflect the ‘environmental cost/cost to the planet’ of goods and services sold. The higher the value, the higher the environmental cost.

The format and visuals are currently being defined by the public authorities.

News and priorities

Mise à jour : avril 2026

The priority for ADEME and the public authorities is to support the roll-out of environmental labelling in 2026 across several sectors. The scheme has been finalised for the textile sector and is currently being rolled out on a voluntary basis. Technical work is continuing to consolidate the scheme and prepare updates for the coming years. In the food sector, a technical consultation concluded at the end of 2025, leading to the Ministry’s official standardisation of the method for calculating the environmental cost of food products. Specific work on marine biodiversity is continuing for fishery products. In the furniture sector, a technical trial is underway until the end of June (see dedicated tab). Initial tests on ‘intermediate vehicles’ (Véli) are also under way. Data is also being compiled for the floriculture and horticulture sectors.

Based on feedback, the scheme will be expanded in the coming years to cover the main consumer goods and services. There is currently no work being carried out by public authorities beyond the sectors mentioned here.

Technical framework

The environmental labelling scheme is based on a set of tools designed to calculate an ‘impact score’ and ensure that results are comparable across products. It comprises the following elements:

General principles and methodological framework: common to all product categories, these are based on standards such as the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF, European framework) or BPC 30-323 (French framework). These standards are based on life cycle assessment (LCA).
Sector-specific guidelines: these adapt the common methodological framework by specifying the calculation methods specific to each product category. They may also incorporate indicators supplementary to LCA standards, such as the microplastics indicator for textiles.
A generic LCA database: this provides the default environmental values required for calculations (e.g. the environmental impact of electricity, materials, transport, etc.). ADEME is developing, in partnership with others, the Empreinte and Agribalyse databases, which are used for labelling purposes.
Public or private calculation tools: these facilitate the implementation of the scheme. Example: the Ecobalyse platform.
The labelling format: this comprises a graphic charter and a logo, ensuring a consistent and recognisable presentation for consumers.

Project governance

The environmental information scheme is overseen at policy level by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion (MTECT), with support from ADEME as the technical operator.

The project is organised according to a standard governance structure: an inter-ministerial steering committee, a technical secretariat, a scientific advisory board and a partners’ committee.

History of the work and feedback

Environmental labelling is an initiative launched in 2009 as part of the Grenelle Environment Forum, the aim of which is to raise consumer awareness of the environmental impacts of products and services. This initiative was taken up by the Citizens’ Climate Convention and subsequently incorporated into several pieces of legislation, the most recent of which is the 2021 ‘Climate and Resilience’ Act (Article 2).

Towards a European food environmental labelling

European consumers do not have access to clear and comparable information on the environmental impact of food products. The fragmentation of initiatives relating to environmental labelling of food at European level leads to methodological inconsistencies, which complicates communication with consumers. The LIFE project ‘Eco Food Choice’, led by ADEME, brings together nine specialist organisations (more than 30 researchers) working towards an ambitious goal: to harmonise environmental labelling on food products at European level. To find out more about ‘Eco Food Choice’, click here.

Durant cette période, 168 entreprises, distributeurs et fédérations professionnelles ont participé à une première expérimentation de l’affichage environnemental sur des produits de consommation courante. Des indicateurs d’impact environnemental ont été apposés sur certains produits afin de tester la faisabilité du dispositif.

Cette expérimentation, menée à l’échelle nationale, a donné lieu à un rapport transmis au Parlement en 2013. Les principaux enseignements sont les suivants :

Une initiative pionnière, positionnant la France comme leader sur le sujet
La pertinence d’une approche multicritère, fondée sur l’analyse du cycle de vie (ACV), pour évaluer les impacts environnementaux
Un levier potentiel de compétitivité économique et de performance environnementale pour les entreprises
Une attente forte des consommateurs, en quête d’informations fiables et transparente
La nécessité de développer des données et des méthodologies communes, afin de mieux couvrir l’ensemble des enjeux environnementaux (ex. : carbone du sol, biodiversité), avant de valider un cadre officiel.

À la suite de cette première phase, les travaux techniques ont été poursuivis par l’ADEME, à travers diverses expérimentations sectorielles et en lien avec les initiatives européennes.

Entre 2017 et 2020, cinq secteurs pilotes ont testé à nouveau l’affichage environnemental sur leurs produits ou services : l’électronique, l’alimentation, l’habillement, l’ameublement et l’hôtellerie.

Ces projets avaient plusieurs objectifs :

Réaliser le calcul de l’affichage environnemental en utilisant les référentiels, la Base de données IMPACTS ® (dorénavant base Empreinte) et les outils disponibles, et collecter du retour d’expérience
Utiliser l’affichage environnemental comme un levier pour initier des démarches d’écoconception
Communiquer les résultats de l’affichage environnemental auprès des consommateurs et inciter les entreprises de ces secteurs à se lancer
Fournir des bilans et retours d'expériences.

Depuis 2021, les pouvoirs publics ont concentré leurs efforts sur les secteurs alimentaire et textile, considérés comme prioritaires pour le déploiement du dispositif.

En 2013, la Commission européenne a publié une recommandation invitant les États membres et les acteurs économiques à adopter des méthodes harmonisées pour évaluer les impacts environnementaux :

PEF (Product Environmental Footprint) : pour les produits
OEF (Organisation Environmental Footprint) : pour les organisations.

Ces cadres méthodologiques visent à garantir la comparabilité, la transparence et la robustesse des évaluations environnementales à l’échelle européenne.