Last week, TrusTrace outlined three strategic imperatives for French eco-score success: assessing your primary data access, evaluating supplier readiness, and deciding your timing strategy. But understanding why these matter requires closer look at how the calculation actually works, and what happens when French authorities come knocking to verify your claims. The mechanics of eco-score calculation determine what data you need to collect, while the audit process determines how well you need to document it.
If you're looking for the complete overview of the French Environment Cost aka Eco-score, you can watch the webinar, Decoding French Eco-score, co-hosted by TrusTrace and Peftrust®.
How Calculation Actually Works
Laurent Boucahut, CEO of Peftrust®, explained that the French eco-score has been designed to be more accessible than traditional lifecycle assessments. Rather than requiring full process-level life cycle assessments (LCAs), the calculation is primarily driven by a limited set of high-impact data points:
- Product type classification
- Finished product weight
- Complete material composition
- Geographic locations at the country level for three production stages: knitting or weaving, finishing, and final assembly.
These parameters drive the calculation because they represent the most impactful aspects of textile production. Material composition determines baseline environmental cost. Geographic locations affect transportation impacts and the carbon intensity of energy grids powering production. Product weight influences the absolute environmental cost.
What you don't need are detailed facility-level energy audits, water consumption breakdowns, or chemical inventories. The French authorities wanted a system that could scale across the industry without requiring every brand to become lifecycle assessment experts.
Peftrust® notes an important limitation:
Products containing more than 20% fiber mass from materials not yet in the database cannot always be scored reliably. This includes specialty fibers like cashmere and alpaca, certain silks, or specific cellulose-based fibers. Leather products aren't covered yet either, though database expansions are expected.
What About Certifications Like GOTS and GRS?
A common question asked about French Eco-Score is how certifications like Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) or Global Recycled Standard (GRS) factor into eco-score calculations. Certifications like GOTS or GRS are not direct input parameters in the French eco-score calculation, which is based on lifecycle impacts modeled from product characteristics (mass, materials, and production locations).
Separately, the regulatory framework applies when brands voluntarily communicate environmental scores or impact ratings. If you reference certifications in sustainability communication, it’s recommended to check on how that intersects with your broader product sustainability claims strategy or commitments to eco-design (ESPR).
This doesn't diminish the value of certifications for building customer trust and meeting other requirements. But in the specific context of French eco-score, they don't directly influence your results. Your competitive advantage comes from having accurate primary data about your specific supply chain, your Data Advantage.
How do Eco-score Audits Actually Work?
What happens if declared data is challenged? The French system operates on a declarative model. You declare your data, calculate your score, and publish it without needing pre-approval from authorities.
However, French authorities can and will conduct spot-check audits. When you publish a score, you're declaring the primary parameters you used—product weight, composition, processing locations. Authorities have access to these declared parameters and can randomly select products for verification.
You need to maintain documentation proving your declared data points:
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supplier declarations confirming geographic processing locations
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bills of materials showing composition breakdowns
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weight specifications
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processing confirmations.
If your product is selected for audit, you need to produce that documentation quickly. Penalties for non-compliance include regulatory fines for false or misleading information, along with reputational damage. If scores are found non-compliant, you may be required to correct and republish, which means publicly acknowledging the error.
The best protection is maintaining a clear audit trail from data collection through to published scores. This is where risk and due diligence data infrastructure becomes your competitive advantage. TrusTrace's platform automatically connects automated risk screening with verifiable evidence, giving you valuable data and creating audit trails that withstand regulatory scrutiny. Instead of scrambling to reconstruct your supply chain data when authorities request verification, you maintain continuous documentation that links your published eco-scores directly back to verified supplier information at every tier of production. Systems that capture this chain of custody in real-time don't just support eco-score compliance—they build the foundation for Digital Product Passport requirements, ESPR obligations, and the broader environmental transparency agenda taking shape across European markets.
Ready to take control of your French eco-score strategy? TrusTrace partners with Peftrust® to help brands collect primary supply chain data at scale, calculate accurate scores aligned with French methodology, and build flexible infrastructure for the broader landscape of EU environmental regulations. [Contact us] to discuss your implementation approach.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Please consult legal professionals for guidance specific to your situation.
