France penalizes fast fashion. To discourage sellers and buyers of disposable fashion – the low-cost clothes that have a significant impact on the environment -, the French National Assembly has approved a bill which provides, from next year, a surcharge of 5 euros per head, which will rise to 10 by 2030 (but which cannot however exceed 50% of the price tag). A measure that recalls the tax applied in France on cars that pollute the most.
After the approval of the Assembly, the bill, which was presented by Horizons, the majority party, will have to pass the Senate. Among the measures envisaged, also the introduction, in all e-commerce, alongside the price, of messages that encourage the reuse and repair of garments and provide information on their environmental impact. Another article of the bill establishes that the taxes imposed on clothes should also depend on the environmental impact, the carbon emissions of their production and whether or not they are fast fashion. Finally, advertising for these products is limited.
The proceeds generated by these measures will be used to finance the collection, sorting and processing of textile waste – as well as for the provision of bonus to those companies that are based on the principles of the circular economy and produce sustainable clothing – and for campaigns on the environmental impact of the fast fashion industry.
The proposed law mentions the Chinese brand Shein which, with its «over 7,200 new clothing items per day», «offers 900 times more products than a traditional French retailer».
“The textile industry is the most polluting industry,” said the MP HorizonsAnne-Cecile Violland, adding that the sector causes 10% of greenhouse gas emissions and is one of the main pollutants of water.
At the Reuters, Shein countered by saying it is meeting an existing demand, which allows the rate of unsold garments to remain consistently low, while traditional manufacturers can have up to 40% scrap. According to the Chinese giant, the only effect of the law will be to «worsen the purchasing power of French consumersat a time when they are already feeling the impact of the cost of living crisis.”
Source: Vanity Fair
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