The European Commission has opened an infringement procedure against France for its national “Triman” logo, a label informing that the respective product is the object of sorting rules (all you need to know about the Triman logo and its relevance for our industries, explained by our legal expert, can be found here). All household products marketed in France must be materially labeled with the logo and additional information on the required sorting process, with different starting dates for the law. For footwear and clothing, the deadline was Feb. 1, 2023. However, according to the Commission, the imposition of national-specific labeling requirements risks undermining the principle of the free movement of goods and can lead to counterproductive environmental effects. Moreover, the EU currently works on harmonized labeling legislation.
In an official statement, the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI) has now strongly welcomed the Commission’s decision. Jérôme Pero, FESI secretary general, said: “The current growing patchwork of national-specific labeling requirements represents a major issue for sporting goods companies selling textile products in the EU, which is why FESI has been advocating for a long time for an EU-wide and digitalized approach in this area. We sincerely hope that France will follow the recent example of Italy and comply with the legitimate requests of the European Commission for sake of EU consumers and businesses.” However, the infringement procedure does not suspend the enforcement of the Triman for the time being. France now has two months to address the concerns raised by the Commission. Otherwise, the Commission may decide to send a reasoned opinion to France.
