Important news from France for the furniture sector. On 12 January 2026, the public tool Ecobalyse released an enhanced version of its modelling module. This is not just a technical update: it is a clear sign that the roadmap towards environmental labelling for furniture is progressing rapidly.
What is Ecobalyse?
For those unfamiliar with it, Ecobalyse is an open-source calculation platform developed in France to help companies assess the environmental cost and impact of products (currently food and clothing), allowing manufacturers to see where their choices have the greatest impact in terms of emissions and resources. The Ecobalyse compliance and reporting obligation (deriving from the AGEC law – Loi Anti-gaspillage pour une économie circulaire) applies to anyone placing products on the French market, regardless of the country of origin of the company.
What changes with the new update?
The integration of the furniture module makes the tool much more operational and closer to real production needs. Here are the main implementations:
Dynamic Modelling: The analysis of the components and impacts of a piece of furniture can be carried out in two ways:
- From a standard model: Starting from predefined structures (e.g. a four-legged table) already broken down into components.
- From a blank page: Creating the product from scratch by calling up individual components (wooden panels, metal structures, etc.).
Detail Accuracy: For each component, you can configure the mass, origin, finishing processes and even the scrap rate during production.
The Durability Coefficient: This is the real methodological breakthrough. The calculation now integrates sustainability over time. A piece of furniture made with more impactful materials but designed to last for decades can be more environmentally “economical” than a lightweight piece with a short lifespan.
Towards Eco-design: An opportunity for the furniture industry
Although the furniture module developed by Ecobalyse is still in the experimental phase, it remains a tool that allows companies to begin testing the impact of their design choices “live”. The path towards environmental transparency has been mapped out. Those who start experimenting today will have a huge competitive advantage tomorrow, as the official testing phase is underway prior to the formal integration of the sector into the regulatory framework, announced no earlier than the beginning of 2027.
Matrec’s approach
At Matrec, we closely follow legislative developments at EU and national level in the field of Ecodesign to help companies prepare for upcoming deadlines. Together with our partner companies, we have been developing and implementing circularity assessment models that integrate all the Ecodesign requirements set out in the Ecodesign Regulation and national standards. In this scenario of increasing transparency, Matrec actively supports companies in understanding and compiling the data required by the main environmental labelling programmes and schemes, offering technical advice on alignment with new impact measurement systems, such as the French Ecobalyse programme and the EU Ecodesign Regulation (ESPR), ensuring that the calculation of indicators is accurate and compliant with the required life cycle analysis methodologies.