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French senate pass bill regulating ultra-fast fashion

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Brighton, UK
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Are the environmental tides of the industry turning? 

On Tuesday the French senate adopted a bill that will regulate the fashion industry and place ultra-fast fashion brands under the microscope.

The news comes after France first mentioned plans to crackdown on e-commerce giants like Temu and Shein earlier this year.

In March, the country’s houses of parliament unanimously approved a ‘kill bill’ that sought to target fast fashion and ultra-fast fashion sold by online retailers – a means of offsetting their environmental impact by banning the advertising of certain brands.

This new bill will compound previous efforts, imposing eco-taxes, further advertising bans, and influencer restrictions. But critics already feel that the bill falls short of its initial environmental ambitions.

Firstly, what constitutes ultra-fast fashion? Fast fashion is widely considered to be low-quality apparel that’s produced rapidly to align with industry trends whilst maintaining low prices. This affordability comes at the expense of textile factory workers, who experts say are often working in inhumane conditions for considerably low pay. Additionally, the emissions produced by creating and shipping these items at speed have a significantly detrimental impact on the planet.

Coverage of these issues may be rife, but change is lagging. Back in 2021, a report by Swiss advocacy group Public Eye claimed that a number of staff employed by Shein factories were working 75 hours per week. Shein was subsequently forced to issue a public statement, in which they referred to a ‘strict supplier Code of Conduct’ including ‘stringent health and safety policies […] in compliance with local laws.’

Despite initial public outcry, the company has continued to amass billions in revenue while launching a number of celebrity endorsed collections – the result of a USP that allows customers to keep up with the latest trends for an incredibly low cost. Regardless of the impact, it seems this offering has been too good to ignore.

But France’s new bill will take steps to directly impact the customer, rather than Shein itself, which could have a profound impact on the fast-fashion industry as a whole.

Consumers could be taxed by the government up to 5 euros per product in 2025, and up to 10 euros by 2030. The legislation still needs final approval in September and a green light from the European Commission, but support in the French parliament was virtually unanimous with only one vote against.

So why is it being criticised by the general public? Well, despite targeting well-known fast-fashion giants like Shein and Temu, the bill notably spares major European brands such as Zara and H&M from the harshest penalties.

‘It’s a missed opportunity,’ said Pierre Condamine, campaign manager at Friends of the Earth France.

‘We are very disappointed because, in the end, we can see that it’s economic protection that has become the major driving force behind this bill. In contrast, at its beginning, there was an ambition to move the section towards more sustainable practices.’

Condamine’s words speak to the urgency of fast-fashion’s so-called ‘triple-threat’ – lawmakers say the industry is three-fold in its destruction: driving overconsumption, harming the planet, and undercutting local brands.

Without penalising some of the biggest fast fashion retailers in Europe, France’s government is failing to prioritise the wellbeing of the continents smaller companies – and thus undercutting local economies in its own right.

In France, 35 clothing items are discarded every second, according to the country’s environment agency Ademe. If the new bill passes, it’s hoped to mark one of the most aggressive legislative efforts in Europe to address the toll of fast fashion.

As fashion designer Kathleen Talbot said back in March, ‘We’re asking these big questions around how we account for the negative impacts of fashion on people and the planet. How do we start to create incentives for good actors?’

Whether this new legislation will make substantial changes is yet to be seen. But regardless Talbot views it as a necessary step in the right direction. ‘Hopefully [it] helps become a model or move other regulatory bodies to consider these issues and consider what the role of the regulation is in addressing the challenges we’re seeing in the industry.’

In the meantime, its hope that pressures to expand the bill will force France’s hand. One social media comment encapsulated the sentiment burgeoning online since the news broke:

‘Any brand that has wastage – say above a certain percentage or doesn’t reach certain sustainability goals – should be taxed the same way. And have their advertising banned.’

Senior Remote Writer Brighton, UK

I’m Flo, (She/Her) a Senior Remote Writer at Thred. I recently completed a Masters in Visual Anthropology, and seek to interrogate the ways digital spaces can amplify marginalised voices in the arts and cultural sectors. Follow me on LinkedIn or ping me some feedback via email.

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