Cheat sheets

Labels and environmental communication

Product communication has the objective of presenting the performances, manufacturing methods and use of a product or service and highlighting the benefits that the user may gain from it.

Product communication corresponds to all of the communication actions put in place to promote a product among potential customers. Product communication supports are numerous: packaging, labels, shop displays, website, …

Product communication can therefore constitute a channel to promote the environmental performances of products with consumers.

The environmental labelling of a product or a service consists in communicating to consumers, on all appropriate supports (the product itself, on shop shelves, on a website...), quantified information relating to its main environmental impacts, calculated throughout its life cycle (its manufacturing, its transport, its use phase and its end-of-life).

Labelling has a dual benefit: firstly, it raises awareness among consumers with respect to responsible consumerism with the help of a grade - A, B, C, D or E - secondly, it encourages brands to put in place sustainable production by encouraging them to improve the environmental performances of their products.

Since 2009, following the Grenelle de l’Environnement, numerous projects (French and European) have been put in place to progressively and massively introduce environmental labelling on textile products and footwear. Companies have already experimented with product labelling with experiments being the focus of reports in order to learn from these pilot stages. To consult the reports compiled in partnership with the ADEME (French Energy Transition Agency):

In February 2020, the French Ministry for Ecological and Inclusive Transition launched the French experiment on environmental labelling with a particular focus on textiles and footwear. The objective is that a maximum of brands, suppliers and manufacturers voluntarily take part in this experiment in order to develop an adapted rating base to then enable consumers to compare the environmental performances of products of various brands.

In parallel, a project coordinated by the European Commission aims to develop modelling rules per product category, environmental footprints for clothing and footwear : the PEFCR (Product Environmental Footprint Category Rule) Apparel and Footwear. This project will enable calculation rules to be fixed at a European level for the various environmental impacts per product category. .

 

For more information on the French experiment or the PEFCR Apparel and Footwear, contact us via the contact sheet at the bottom of the page.

In the textile clothing, household linen and footwear sector, numerous labels are affixed to products to promote their characteristics with consumers.

Certain labels certify the environmental and social quality of products according to various criteria such as organic farming, the limitation or prohibition of chemical substances (toxicity) or social criteria such as fair trade for example. Every label corresponds to precise specifications whose requirements must be respected in order to affix the label to the product./span>

Although labels are distinguishable thanks to their name or logo, it is sometimes difficult to negotiate the "label jungle". Marketers and consumers are often at a loss with respect to labels, which constitutes a significant brake to their appropriation.

Despite this, labelling offers uncontested proof of the supplier's or marketer's commitment and is gaining ground in the choices made by end consumers. Below is a summary setting out some of the label requirement criteria most frequently encountered.

 

Download the comparative table of labels

 

Sources :

  • Better cotton initiative

    Objectif
    Certifie une production de coton raisonnée dans des conditions de travail décentes

    Critères d’exigence du label
    Critère sociaux, Agriculture raisonnée.

  • Biore

    Objectif
    Garantit que les cultures de coton ainsi que la fabrication des vêtements respectent l’environnement.

    Critères d’exigence du label
    Critère sociaux, Agriculture raisonnée et biologique, Production durable, Toxicité.

  • Bluesign

    Objectif
    Garantit que le produit est fabriqué dans des conditions de travail décentes et selon un mode de transformation durable.

    Critères d’exigence du label
    Critère sociaux, Production durable, Toxicité.

  • Ecocert textile

    Objectif
    Assure que les textiles respectent l’environnement tout au long de leur cycle de vie.

    Critères d’exigence du label
    Critère sociaux, Agriculture raisonnée, Production durable, Toxicité, Composants recyclés.

  • Écolabel européen

    Objectif
    Assure que les TLC* respectent l’environnement tout au long de leur cycle de vie.

    Critères d’exigence du label
    Critère sociaux, Agriculture raisonnée et biologique, Production durable, Toxicité, Composants recyclés.

  • Fairtrade Max Havelaar

    Objectif
    Certifie que le coton composant le produit est issu du commerce équitable.

    Critères d’exigence du label
    Critère sociaux, Agriculture raisonnée et biologique, Commerce équitable.

  • Global organic textile standard

    Objectif
    Assure que les textiles respectent l’environnement tout au long de leur cycle de vie.

    Critères d’exigence du label
    Critère sociaux, Agriculture raisonnée et biologique, Production durable, Toxicité.

  • Global recycled standard

    Objectif
    Certifie que le produit est composé de matière recyclée et fabriqué de manière durable.

    Critères d’exigence du label
    Critère sociaux, Production durable, Toxicité, Composants recyclés

  • Made in green by Oeko-Tex

    Objectif
    Certifie que les textiles ont été testés sur les substances nocives et fabriqué de manière durable.

    Critères d’exigence du label
    Critère sociaux, Production durable, Toxicité.

  • Oeko-Tex standard 100

    Objectif
    Certifie que les textiles ont été testés sur les substances nocives.

    Critères d’exigence du label
    Toxicité.

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What is Eco design?

Eco design is a platform whose purpose is to provide information and assist textile and footwear brands to rise to the eco-design challenge. This platform is a Refashion initiative (formerly Eco TLC), a public authority-approved eco-organisation for the CHF industry (Clothing, Household linen and Footwear).

Our vision: a 100% circular textile and footwear industry.