What changes does the new AGEC application decree bring?

Published in the Journal Officiel on April 30, 2022, the implementing decree for article 13 of the AGEC law (anti-waste and circular economy) completes the environmental code of this law with a sub-section named: "Consumer information on the environmental qualities and characteristics of waste-generating products".

In short, with this decree, producers and importers of textile products (but also furnishings, electronics and household appliances not covered in this article) will now be required to display :

• Geographical traceability of the main production stages
• The amount of recycled material incorporated into the product
• Product recyclability
• The presence of plastic microfibers in the product
• The presence of hazardous substances in the product.

💡 It is also now forbidden to use the terms "biodegradable", "environmentally friendly" or any other equivalent environmental claim on a new consumer product.

Which companies are affected by these traceability obligations?

This obligation applies to all producers, importers, distributors and marketers of textile products in France.

However, application of the decree is phased in over time, depending on company size:

What information should be displayed on textile products?

Production traceability 📍

The decree requires consumers to be given information on the geographical origin of the main stages of production. The country of production must therefore be displayed for each of the following stages:

For clothing items:

• Weaving or knitting
• Dyeing and printing
• Clothing

For shoes:

• Stitching
• Assembly
• The finish

Recycled material incorporated into the product ♻️

Information on the incorporation of recycled materials must be displayed using the words "product containing at least [%] recycled materials".

This percentage is measured as the proportion of recycled materials in the total mass of the product.

💡 This statement does not apply to leather goods.

Product recyclability ♻️

Information on recyclability must be displayed using the words "majority recyclable product" only when all five of the criteria below are met:

• The product can be efficiently collected on a regional scale, thanks to the population's access to local collection points.
• The product can be sorted, i.e. directed towards recycling channels for recycling.
• The product does not contain elements or substances that interfere with sorting, recycling or limit the use of recycled material.
• The recycled material produced by the recycling processes used represents more than 50% by mass of the waste collected.
• The product can be recycled on an industrial scale, with the guarantee that the recycled material is of sufficient quality to provide a real market.

💡 If the recycled material produced from the product represents more than 95% by mass of the waste collected, the display may include the statement "fully recyclable product".

💡 When recycled material can be reincorporated into products of an equivalent nature without loss of material performance, the display may include the statement "product recyclable into a product of the same nature".

Presence of microplastics ⚠️

If the proportion of synthetic fibers exceeds 50% of the total mass of the product, the words "releases plastic microfibers into the environment during washing" must be displayed.

Presence of hazardous substances ⚠️

If the product contains a hazardous substance in a concentration exceeding 0.1% by weight, the words "contains a hazardous substance" or "contains a substance of very high concern" must be displayed.

The statement must be completed with the name of each hazardous substance present.

The list of substances subject to the obligation is published in Commission Regulation (EU) No. 2017/999 of June 13, 2017, Article 1 and Annex points 2 and 3.

Create your product data sheets in just a few clicks with Waro

The decree requires consumers to be provided with all this information in the form of a "product sheet on environmental qualities and characteristics" accessible free of charge on the Internet.

The Waro platform makes it possible not only to measure the impact of our products, but also to easily manage all this traceability information.

By modeling the entire life cycle of your products on Waro, you kill two birds with one stone:

• you fill in all the traceability information required by the AGEC law
• measure the environmental impact of your product in compliance with the French Climate Law (see our article on environmental labelling)

Thanks to Waro, you'll automatically obtain a product sheet highlighting all the information to be displayed in compliance with the AGEC law, as well as the impact of your products throughout their life cycle.

To find out more about Waro and how we help companies prepare for regulatory obligations (traceability, impact measurement and much more) you can visit our website here or book an appointment.