Presentation of the label

The Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (EPV) label is the only government award recognizing exceptional know-how, and is designed to promote French companies of excellence and encourage their growth.

The Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (EPV) label is a government recognition mark, set up to distinguish French companies holding, among other things, excellent industrial and craft skills.

Awarded for a period of five years, this label brings together manufacturers who share a certain vision of what their company should be doing: high performance in their trade and products, constant attention to in-house training, a technically and socially innovative approach, and a dynamic sales strategy.

This state label is attached to the Ministry of the Economy and Finance and awarded by regional prefects.

Find out more on the certifier's website - external link

Distinguishing companies that promote French industrial and artisanal excellence and preserve exceptional know-howt artisanale française et font perdurer les savoir-faire d'exception

EPV-labeled companies are the ambassadors of French craft and industrial excellence throughout the world. Committed players in a responsible economy, the men and women of the Entreprises du Patrimoine Vivant embody and bring to life French know-how, while cultivating shared values of respect, high standards and innovation. Through their creativity and highly technical skills, Entreprises du Patrimoine Vivant apply cutting-edge know-how in fields with strong resonance, particularly abroad, and in which France enjoys solid recognition: fashion & luxury, decoration, art de vivre, gastronomy, heritage.

The quest for excellence, for a lasting positive impact

  • Perpetuate the demands of gesture and the transmission of intangible heritage 
  • Use and adopt technologies that enable products to be durable and long-lasting 
  • Promote an approach that respects resources and the environment 
  • Contribute to the dynamism of the local ecosystem, rooted in the region's history. 
  • Adapt to contemporary expectations and keep abreast of new market trends in France and abroad. 

EPV Lelièvre

Official recognition by the French government of the highly technical or rare know-how collectively owned and applied by French companies.

Since its creation in 2005, the EPV label has highlighted unique companies that know how to reconcile innovation and tradition, know-how and creation, heritage and future, local and international. This state label is attached to the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, and is awarded by regional prefects. Awarded for a period of five years, the EPV label brings together manufacturers who share a certain vision of what their company's activities should be: an entrepreneurial vision in which respect for the company's historical and heritage character and its know-how and tools are in no way in conflict, but rather nurture production quality, harmonious relations with local partners, innovative approaches and high-tech production.   

It is the only government label awarded to a company for its entire activity, guaranteeing the excellence of its know-how. 

Find out more on the certifier's website - external link (in French)

Les EPV en chiffres-clés

  • 8market universes
  • 1035labeled entreprises
  • 59000jobs in France
  • 14.2billion euros in cumulated sales
  • 53.7% of sales are generated on export markets

The aim of these annual studies is to measure the economic weight of Living Heritage Companies, both nationally and in export markets, and to analyze their territorial realities, thus demonstrating their potential within the French productive fabric.

Living heritage companies

Living heritage companies

There are just 1,400 EPV-labeled companies in France, including around 100 in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region. Why are they so exceptional? Who are the teams who work there? They are founders, cabinetmakers, pastry chefs or button makers, and they work in an EPV entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant. This French label recognizes their exceptional know-how. Reporting: Catherine Eme-Ziri / Fabienne Lemoing / Thomas Hardy / Karl Monnin / Pierre Corne