On 29 June 2026, the Commission published its Decision (EU) 2026/1435 in the Official Journal of the European Union, approving the French national provisions governing the destruction of unsold consumer goods, even though they differ from those laid down in Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, known as the “Ecodesign” Regulation.
As a reminder, the “Ecodesign” Regulation includes, in particular, provisions aimed at preventing unsold consumer goods from being destroyed.
However, pursuant to its AGEC Act, France had already implemented similar provisions – albeit much stricter ones (covering many types of cosmetic products) – with effect from 1 January 2022. By letters of 28 November and 26 December 2025, France notified the Commission of its wish to maintain its national provisions, pursuant to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).
The Commission then had six months to approve or reject them.
Differences between Europe and France
The “Ecodesign” Regulation stipulates that the destruction of unsold consumer goods (listed as clothing, clothing accessories and footwear) will be prohibited from 19 July 2026 for large enterprises, and from 19 July 2030 for medium-sized enterprises. The ban does not apply to micro-enterprises or small enterprises. Under this Regulation, recycling is considered to be a form of destruction.
France, for its part, has stipulated that unsold new non-food products (the list of which includes several categories of cosmetics) must be reused (notably by donating them to charities), repurposed or recycled.
It intends to continue applying its national …
