Harmonizing Environmental Labelling Across Europe

The LIFE ECO FOOD CHOICE project was born from a shared ambition: to develop and harmonize environmental labelling methodologies at the European scale. Building on France's pioneering work, ADEME coordinates this strategic project, funded by the European Union’s LIFE program.

This consortium brings together 9 European partners (Spain, Germany, France, Netherlands), including researchers and experts in agricultural production, data science, LCA, and consumer behavior.

Our 2028 Goal: To present a validated and widely recognized environmental labelling system to the European Commission.

To transform the European food landscape, the project focuses on building common standards and frameworks:

• Standardizing Inventory Methods: Developing a harmonized methodology for food Life Cycle Inventories (LCI) to ensure robust and interoperable environmental databases across Europe.

• Engineering Calculation Tools: Building on French expertise to create a standardized method for aggregating impact scores into a single, comprehensive environmental score.

• Real-world Testing: Evaluating the impact of labelling in supermarkets, canteens, and online platforms to measure consumer behavior and farming practices.

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📚 Our Deliverables

• European Harmonization LCI & Scoring Methodology

Comprehensive guidelines for developing LCIs and calculating aggregated environmental scores. It builds on the PEF (Product Environmental Footprint) framework while providing practical solutions for the food sector.

Status: The document is currently in the ‘Beta’ version. A public consultation took place in September and October 2026. The final version is due to be published in November 2026.

• State-of-the-art analysis of LCA-based ecolabelling schemes in Europe

A detailed overview of the 16 most relevant ecolabels in Europe, evaluated against 40 rigorous criteria by Wageningen University & Research (WUR).

• Extrapolation method: Methodological report on how to transpose a national LCA-database on food to another country

Guidelines for adapting LCA data from one country to another. This allows existing databases, such as France’s Agribalyse, to serve as a foundation for other European regions.

🎙️ Our Webinar Replays

• May 2025: Progress Update & European Ecolabel Panorama
• April 2024: General Introduction to the project

🔗 Follow our progress and get the latest updates on European ecolabelling !