Loi AGEC Guide: France's Law for Textiles & Retailers

Loi AGEC (Decree 2022-748) — part of the French Anti-Waste Law — was established with the aim to give consumers the information they need to make eco-friendly choices, including requiring producers to disclose environmental impact of their new product. 

In other words: it sets out rules for what information producers must provide, how they must present it, and when it needs to be available to consumers.

The Decree requires producers, importers, and distributors — who are placing new and “waste-generating” products on the French market — to provide product specific information about their environmental characteristics and durability. 

This applies to companies meeting two conditions: a minimum annual turnover exceeding 10 million euros and placing over 10,000 units of relevant products on the French market. These relevant products include a wide range of categories, such as textiles, sporting goods, and household packaging.

Which industries does Loi AGEC apply to?

The regulation is for new products (secondhand and refurbished items are excluded) that are introduced on the French Market and have been identified as ‘’waste-generating’’.

Loi AGEC applies to businesses that produce, import, or distribute specific product categories. This includes companies that sell these products online through websites, platforms, or any other digital channel, even if they are not located in France.

Your company needs to comply if it meets both of these conditions:

• You sell products covered by the Decree;
• You introduce these products to the French market (including online sales).

The deadline for complying with Loi AGEC depends on your company's annual revenue and the volume of covered products you sell in France.
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* Amount of concerned products placed on the French market

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Loi AGEC Requirements

Format criteria

The information about the specific product must be:

• Available in French
• Shared with consumers electronically at the time of purchase
• Free of charge to the consumer
• In a format that can be easily downloaded and used electronically
• Available for at least two years after the last unit of the product concerned is placed on the market

Product Information Requirements

The type of information you need to provide about your product depends on its category. There are specific requirements for each category, as outlined in article R541-221 of the Decree.

For new textile (clothing) products, the following information must be provided:

• Recycled material content: How much of the fabric/packaging content is made up from recycled materials?
• Recyclability: How well can the product be recycled at the end-of-life?
• Harmful substances: What harmful substances are present in the product?
• Traceability: In which country did the weaving, dying/printing and assembly process take place?
• Presence of Microplastics: Does the product contain microplastics?

Current Status & Timeline of  Loi AGEC

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Useful Resources

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