An act seeking sanctions on ultra-fascious style goods, sold by firms like China’s Shein, was approved by France’s lower house of parliament on Thursday in an effort to compensate their environmental impact.
By 2030, the bill would require gradual increases to penalties of up to 10 euros ($ 11) per individual piece of clothing, as well as a ban on advertising for these items.
The bill, which will go to the senators before becoming laws, was unanimously approved by all voting politicians.
The success of fashion stores Shein and Temu, who have become accustomed to scaling up purchases based on need owing to their extremely flexible supply chains, has impacted the retail industry, while established players like Zara and H&M still mostly rely on predicting customers’ choices.
“This evolution of the clothing industry towards ephemeral style, combining increased amounts and low prices, is influencing consumer purchasing habits by creating getting impulses and a constant need for registration, which is not without environmental, social and economic consequences”, the act said.
Shein claimed in a statement to Reuters that the clothes it produces meet a current demand, which keeps its rate of unsold clothing in the single digits, compared to traditional players, who can have up to 40 % of waste.
The bill’s only effect, according to it, would be to “aggravate the purchasing power of French consumers, at a time when they are already feeling the effects of the cost-of-living crisis.”
Writing on X, France’s environment minister, Christophe Béchu, described the bill as a “major step forward, “adding:” A big step has been taken to reduce the textile sector’s environmental footprint.”
The French environmental ministry announced in a bid to address the growing issue of textile waste that the European Union would propose a ban on exports of used clothing.
The nation introduced a repair program last year to encourage people to repair worn-out clothing and footwear rather than throw them away. The French government pledged 154 million euros ($ 168 million) to the initiative, which reimburses shoppers up to 25 euros ($ 27.20) for every garment they have repaired. The non- profit group tasked with running the scheme, Refashion, says that 3.3 billion items of clothing, household linen and footwear went on the French market in 2022. At the time, the country’s ministry of ecology said that French people throw away 700, 000 tons of clothes — two- thirds of which ends up in landfills — each year.
Among the world’s most polluting industries, fashion accounts for between 3% and 5% of global carbon emissions, according to consultancy McKinsey’s State of Fashion report. According to the report, about half of all fibers produced by the industry are made of oil-based polyester.