French grocery retailer Coopérative U has introduced a voluntary environmental labelling system for 220 textile products within its spring-summer 2026 collection.
This initiative marks a significant milestone in the cooperative’s CSR strategy and anticipates future regulatory obligations stemming from France’s Climate and Resilience Law.
The new labelling system assigns an ‘environmental cost’ to products, expressed in impact points (ranging from zero upwards).
This metric evaluates the environmental performance of the textile product’s entire ‘life’ cycle, from raw-material production to final disposal.
Initially, the labelling will focus on high-volume/everyday items, such as jeans and T-shirts from Coopérative U’s own brands, namely U Essentiel, U Collection and Prix Mini.
The labels cover the menswear, womenswear, children’s and baby categories.
Rather than having physical tags on every item, a QR code will be present on dedicated shelf posters, for customers to scan and access a digital catalogue.
By inputting a product’s EAN code, shoppers can view the item’s environmental cost and detailed impact indicators.
Further details on the calculation mechanism are available on the retailer’s website.
While direct on-product labelling is planned for future collections, this digital-first approach aims to familiarise customers with the new system gradually.
Internal Improvement Tool
In addition to informing customers, the labelling system also represents a tool for internal improvement.
In the first quarter of 2026, the cooperative will provide extensive training to its textile product managers, to ensure they understand the rating criteria and can integrate eco-design principles into future development.
The announcement about Coopérative U’s initiative came only a day before rival Carrefour introduced environmental labels on nearly 70 clothing items under its private-label Tex brand.