French legislators approve bill to apply sanctions to fast fashion

The lower house of the French parliament approved a bill on Thursday that seeks to penalize ultra-fast fashion products, sold by companies such as China's Shein, with the aim of helping offset their environmental impact.

The bill provides for a gradual increase in penalties up to 10 euros per item of clothing until 2030, as well as a ban on advertising of such products.

All voting lawmakers unanimously approved the bill, which will move to the Senate before it can become law.

The popularity of fashion retailers Shein and Temu – which increase orders based on demand thanks to ultra-flexible supply chains – has disrupted the retail sector, while established players such as Zara and H&M remain heavily reliant on predicting preferences. of buyers.

Shein said in a statement to Reuters that the clothing it produces meets an existing demand, allowing its unsold garment rate to consistently remain in the low single digits, while traditional players can have up to 40% waste.

The bill's only effect would be to “worsen the purchasing power of French consumers, at a time when they are already feeling the impact of the cost of living crisis,” he added.

The bill comes as the French Environment Ministry said it would propose to the European Union to ban exports of used clothing, in a bid to tackle the worsening problem of textile waste.