What’s New in PEFCR 3.0 for Apparel and Footwear –Simplified Guide for Textile Brands

The EU is one step closer to adopting a unified way of measuring the environmental impacts of textiles and apparel. After five years of work, the Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR) for the fashion sector are now considered final, with “no further modifications” needed. A formal vote to submit the rules for approval by the European Commission is expected in the coming weeks.

This milestone was shared by Baptiste Carriere-Pradal of 2BPolicy, who has played a key role in the process since its early days at the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (now Cascale). Developed by a multi-stakeholder Technical Secretariat, the PEFCR has gone through two public consultations, several expert reviews, and validation by the European Commission. It is set to become the EU’s reference methodology for calculating and communicating the environmental footprint of textile and clothing products.

We will keep you updated when the results of the final vote are in, but for now we’ve summarized the changes of the final version of PEFCR for Apparel & Footwear for you. Also join our 15-min PEFCR webinar at the end of the month to bring you up to speed with everything you need to know as a fashion, apparel or footwear company.

If you want to learn about the PEFCR for Apparel and Footwear methodology, please read our easy-to-understand deep dive for textile brands here.

What's New in the Final Version of PEFCR for Apparel & Footwear

With the final version now complete and awaiting a final vote forand formal approval from the EU Commission, several significant changes have been introduced. These updates aim to clarify the methodology, improve data consistency, and ensure alignment with the latest scientific developments.

Once adopted, the framework is expected to play a central role in upcoming EU legislation — meaning brands will need to use it to assess and communicate the environmental footprint of their products. 

Specifically, under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), it will be used to assess key product criteria like durability, repairability, and recyclability, and will feed into Digital Product Passports (DPPs) required for all textile products sold in the EU. In parallel, the Green Claims Directive will likely mandate the use of PEF to substantiate any environmental marketing claims, ensuring that labels such as “eco” or “climate neutral” are backed by harmonized, science-based data. Together, these regulations aim to standardize sustainability communication and product transparency across the industry.

You can find the latest version (3.0) of the full PEFCR guideline here.

The new PEFCR makes measuring the environmental impact of fashion products clearer. They now take into account how long a product lasts, how easily it can be repaired, and even how it’s washed, packaged, and shipped. Brands will need to use more accurate data and follow stricter rules if they want to make environmental claims or comply with upcoming EU regulations.

Durability and Repairability Now Count Toward Your Score

PEFCR now rewards products that last longer and can be repaired. If you prove your product is durable or repairable, your environmental score improves. If you don’t provide evidence, a default penalty applies (your product will be scored with a shortened lifetime).

What’s new:

• Environmental score per use depends on how long the product lasts.
• Separate scoring for durability (Intrinsic Durability Multiplier - IDM) and repairability (Repairability Multiplier - RM).
• Includes lab testing protocols for each product category (e.g. t-shirts, ski jackets, shoes).
• Small series, fur, leather, and menstrual underwear are exempt.

Where to find it: Pages 50–67, Annex V and VI

Circular Footprint Formula (CFF) Has Been Updated

End-of-life impacts and recycled content are now calculated more consistently.

What’s new:

• New layout for the calculation formulas.
• New emphasis on material quality indicators (Qp, Qsin, Qsout).
• The “B” factor (for energy recovery at end-of-life) is always set to zero – this simplifies comparisons and reduces inconsistencies.
• New lists of recyclability disruptors that affect your end-of-life score.

Where to find it: Pages 124–139

Fibrer Fragment Impact Module Introduced

PEFCR now includes the impact of fibrer fragments (e.g. microplastics) released during care (washing, drying).

What’s new:

• Calculates how much fibrer is released and its effect on marine ecosystems.
• Includes example calculations.
• Still evolving as scientific knowledge improves.

Where to find it: Pages 73–77

Use- Phase Modelling Is Now More Realistic

PEFCR v3.0 has more accurate assumptions about how people care for different garments.

What’s new:

• Care habits (washing, drying, ironing, repairs) are tailored to each product type.
• Example: tights and underwear are washed more frequently than jackets or boots.
• Energy, water, and detergent use varies per item.

Product Lifetime (Duration of Service) Is Refined

Product lifetime now depends more on product type, material, and performance.

What’s new:

• New default lifespans per product subcategory (e.g. 45 uses for t-shirts, 100 for coats).
• Durability and repairability scores can increase or reduce the calculated lifetime.
• Special rules added for leather, fur, and reused items.
  
  

Where to find it: Pages 47–49

Packaging Modelling Has Been Improved

Packaging-related emissions are now more accurately reflected.

What’s new:

• Different default packaging footprints for e-commerce, F2C (factory to consumer), and retail.
• Better assumptions on packaging weights, materials, and recycling rates.
  
  

Where to find it: Pages 149–154

New Distribution Scenarios

Your actual logistics model now matters.

What’s new:

• You can choose between three default logistics models:

1. Factory-to-consumer (F2C)
2. Classic e-commerce
3. Retail

• Each has predefined transport legs, emission factors, and distances.
• You can also use your own transport data if available.
  
  

Where to find it: Pages 164–183, Annex VII

Stricter Data Requirements

You now need more primary (company-specific) data for your products.

What’s new:

• You must provide primary data covering at least 95% of your Bill of Materials (by weight).
• You must report the percentage of unsold products and the share of air freight in your distribution.
• If you don’t have access to everything, guidance is provided on how to choose appropriate proxies.

Where to find it: Pages 96–106, 111

New Guidance on Using Proxies and Secondary Data

To help brands who don’t control every part of their supply chain, PEF v3.0 introduces clearer rules on what to do when you’re missing data.

What’s new:

• A new “Data Needs Matrix” helps you decide when and how to use secondary data.
• Includes 3 supply chain scenarios: full access, partial access, and no access.
• Examples and decision trees are included.
  
  

Where to find it: Pages 109–115, Annex VIII (page 246)

New Rules for Tool Verification and Software Use

If you use a software tool to calculate PEF scores, it now has to follow stricter rules.

What’s new:

• All tools must go through a one-time pre-verification process.
• If your tool is used in over 100 PEF studies per year, it must be reviewed annually.
• 10 random PEF studies must be verified each year.
• If the software changes in a way that affects results, it must be re-verified.
  
  

Where to find it: Pages 220–221, Annex XI (page 267)

Limits on Product Comparisons

Certain products can’t be compared with others due to current data limitations.

You cannot compare:

• Leather or fur products with textile products.
• Menstrual underwear with other underwear.
• Small series products (unless durability-tested).
  
  

Where to find it: Page 82, Annex V and VI

Future Developments (Flagged in the Document)

PEFCR 3.0 also outlines ideas for future versions.

What’s being explored:

• A separate indicator for biodiversity.
• Deeper fibrer fragment modelling.
• Research into the real-world impact of repairability vs. durability.
• Better communication materials to explain environmental scores to consumers.

Where to find it: Annex X (page 264)

Source:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dONIPjfpRESLxR2bujF7RHpJswkvRaRx/view 

How Can Carbonfact Help?

Carbonfact is an environmental data platform purpose-built for apparel and footwear. As EU regulations like the PEFCR raise expectations for data accuracy, transparency, and reporting, manual LCA processes are no longer scalable.

Our platform integrates directly with your core systems (ERP, PLM, etc.), cleans and analyzes product data, and automatically fills in missing information using the EF 3.1-compliant dataset. Instead of drastically increasing headcount to perform LCAs across the entire product catalogue, Carbonfact enables brands to automatically generate product-level footprint calculations aligned with the final PEFCR.

With Carbonfact, sustainability and product teams can instantly view PEF scores across their catalog, pinpoint high-impact stages, model reduction strategies, and generate audit-ready reports – all in one place.

See how it works in the demo video: