FRANCE PUTS BAN ON FAST FASHION COMPANIES
By: Hillary LeBlanc
This year, we have seen various global governments take control of the fast fashion and environmental crisis to ensure companies are not further destroying our planet. The European Union has put in place rules around fast fashion, waste from textiles including labelling processes so consumers know the footprint of their products. This June, France decided to also put down some new rules for ultra-fast fashion companies in hopes to regulate their environmental impact before it gets out of hand.
The bill that France adopted aims to regulate the way fast fashion companies advertise to consumers. This bill, mainly targeted at e-commerce brand SHEIN, aims to reduce the environmental impact of the textile industry. This ad-ban will also impact influencers who promote fast-fashion products and would impose sanctions on them. Companies like shein make ultra-fast fashion which is exported to France but raises pollution and saturates the market. In France, 35 pieces of clothing are thrown away every second in the country while 48 items per person are put into the French market every year. Fashion is still responsible for roughly 10% of global carbon emissions and it generates over 90 million tonnes of textile waste every year. Considering most recycling schemes are still small-scale, and unable to keep up with the sheer volume of cheap and short-use clothing flowing through the system, laws like the one France plans to impose are necessary.
While the new bill is targeting ‘ultra’ fast fashion giants like SHEIN and Temu, it has strategically left out mention of Zara or H&M. Despite this, the bill does say that these fashion giants will still need to notify customers about the environmental impact of their products. The government plans on implementing a fashion score evaluating their environmental communication including disclosing carbon emissions, resource usage and recyclability. If this ‘eco-score’ is low, the brands will be taxed by the government. Those with the lowest scores will be taxed up to 5 euros per product in 2025 and up to 10 euros by 2030. This tax, however, will not raise beyond 50 percent of the price of the original product. Funds raised through this tax will go to support French sustainable designers.
While the bill was adopted in March, it passed the Senate in June. A joint committee of senators and lower house deputies will meet in September 2025 to produce a joint text before the final adoption of the law. As France is a member of the European Union, the law must comply with the European Union law.
What is important to note is that France, is arguably the most fashionable country on earth, is taking a stand and naming fast-fashion as a problem and forcing accountability to be taken as opposed to waiting for consumers to make a shift. This bill acknowledges that brands won’t slow down production or clean up their supply chains unless there’s a cost to business as usual even if the cost is a few euros per garment. While the tariffs being imposed by the US are already affecting the American relationship with Chinese fast-fashion giants like SHEIN, Temu and Aliexpress, New York State has also proposed a similar bill to that of France. The Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act would impose mandatory supply chain disclosures and environmental targets for large brands selling in New York.
While transparency from brands will lead to more informed purchases, France’s bill may also lead to higher prices and a refining of options as brands pivot to meet regulations. Studies show over 70% of shoppers are willing to pay more for eco-friendly fashion, putting the onus on brands to provide products that meet regulations without the negative consequences for the world at large.