AGEC law: mandatory information on clothing labels as early as 2023
As early as January 2023, textile products will have to comply with the traceability obligation introduced by decree in April pursuant to the AGEC (Act against Waste for a Circular Economy).
Decree No. 2022-748 of 29 April 2022, which implements Article 13 I of the AGEC Act, the anti-spam law for a circular economy of 11 February 2020 (cf.Anti-gasping law: towards an environmental display of clothing), now frame the environmental claims of the market makers and make mandatory consumer information on certain environmental characteristics of the products purchased.
By 2023, this display device will allow the consumer to know, according to the product categories and for each model, their proportion of recycled material, their recycling, the presence of dangerous substances, precious metals or rare earths, or their compostability or re-useability.
For textilesTwo additional information will be mandatory:geographical traceability of the three major manufacturing stages(weaving, dyeing, assembly/finishing) and awarning for mostly synthetic textileswhich reject microplastic fibres during washing and have been pointed at for several years (cf.Microplastics: ECHA and consumers called to rescue!).
The decree targets:
- for1 January 2023, enterprises with aturnover above50 EUR millionand responsible annually for placing on the national market at least 25 000units of the products concerned,
- for1 January 2024, enterprises with aturnover exceeding EUR 20 millionand placing on the market10 000 units of the products concerned,
- and finally, for the1 January 2025, enterprises with aturnover over EUR 10 millionand placing on the market10 000 units of the products concerned.
The DGCCRF (Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention) will ensure that this decree is implemented as early as 2023 through physical controls in stores.
This new obligation is welcomed by French manufacturers who wish to highlight their French manufacturing labels for more environmentally friendly production, distribution and consumption.