Concertation on Textile Environmental Signage: key points to remember

ADEME recently organized a webinar to share the results of consultations on the Environmental Display (ED) for textiles. This article presents methodological developments, database updates and the application timetable.

The main methodological changes

Sustainability index

Non-physical durability:

Two criteria have been removed from the calculation of non-physical durability: "materials" and "time-to-market". Here is the new breakdown of criteria for assessing non-physical sustainability:

• Traceability display: 20%.
• Width of range: 40% of range
• Incentives to repair: 40%.

In addition, the range covered by the non-physical durability coefficient has been reduced, with a minimum coefficient of 0.67 and a maximum of 1.45. The aim is to reduce the influence of the coefficient on the final result and to align with the values of the PEFCR physical durability coefficient.

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Display of traceability" criterion

Displaying traceability means providing consumers with detailed information on the origin of garments at the time of purchase. The minimum stages to be communicated include manufacturing, finishing (dyeing) and weaving/knitting.

Traceability information can be displayed via the brand's website, the main online distributor, and on garment labels in physical stores.

There are two possible situations for calculating this index:

• if the product benefits from a display of its traceability under the conditions mentioned above, the "display of traceability" index is 100%.
• otherwise, it is 0%.

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Range width" criterion

The range width represents the number of references offered by a brand or platform. The sales channel considered for this criterion is primarily the brand's website. In the absence of online sales, another sales channel must be chosen.

The definition of "reference" has been simplified based on the number of color references offered on the brand's website. This term may correspond to the notion of Stock Keeping Unit (SKU).

If a reference comes in several sizes, there is only one reference for all sizes.

Multi-brand platforms and segmentation (children, plus sizes) will be worked on in the autumn, with a questionnaire sent to brands to refine these parameters.

Calculation of the range width index :

• 100% when the number of references is less than 3000
• 80% for 6,000 references
• 50% for 10,000 references
• 0% when the number of references exceeds 50,000

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Repair incentive" criterion

As a reminder, this criterion is based on the ratio between the average repair cost and the product's reference selling price. This parameter is specific to each product.

The definition of the sales channel has been simplified to include only the brand's website.

A new scale for calculating the repair incentive has been introduced:

• 100% if the repair cost represents less than 33% of the new reference price
• 0% if the repair cost represents more than 100% of the new reference price

When a garment is marketed by a brand that is not an SME or VSE, the "repair incentive" index is composed of :

• 66% of the index based on the ratio of repair cost to new price.
• 33% from the provision of a repair or warranty service.

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Physical durability

Physical sustainability, meanwhile, will depend on the PEFCR's work on this issue, expected during 2025. A working group will be launched this autumn to prepare for the convergence of physical and non-physical sustainability.

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Other product lifecycle updates :

Materials

Affichage Environnemental Textile plans to integrate new materials such as cashmere, silk, mohair, polyamide, Australian wool and Lyocell.

Finishing

The finishing stages will now include printing and pre-treatments such as bleaching. Work and exchanges are also underway to create impact processes specific to labels.

Other steps

• Knitting: fully-fashioned (integral) knitting method taken into account, significantly reducing losses (18% > 2%).
• Air transport: the percentage of transport is now considered on a brand-wide basis.
• Exports outside Europe: the threshold for defining a garment as "synthetic" has been raised by 10%.

Other clarifications have also been made. For products sold in batches, the impact will be calculated by summing the modelling impacts of each element in the batch. For multi-sourcing references, the AGEC law rule will be applied, taking the geographical origin and the producer representing the highest proportion by mass.

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Database (Base Empreinte)

The database is currently available on the Base Empreinte website in version 0.1, with an update to version 1 scheduled for October.

Access to disaggregated data will be available in the autumn.

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Application Schedule

The timetable for implementation of the Environmental Textile Display is uncertain due to the absence of a government, which is preventing notification of the decree to the European Commission. Despite this, the aim remains to roll out the EA framework by the end of the year. The scheme will remain voluntary for 2025, with a significant test period before considering an obligation.