In early June, the French Senate voted almost unanimously for a bill targeting "ultra fast fashion" brands, imposing eco-taxes and limiting fast-fashion advertisement and influencer promotion, Euronews reported.
However, critics believe that the bill, which mostly targets Asian-owned fast-fashion giants Shein and Temu, does not do enough to restrict fast-fashion culture in the country beyond these two brands.
What's happening?
Senators in the upper house of the French Parliament approved a modified version of an anti-fast-fashion bill previously adopted by the lower house, the National Assembly, in March 2024.
The National Assembly's anti-fast-fashion bill aimed to limit the environmental and social impact of fast fashion, which is defined as fashion that is rapidly mass-manufactured and sold at a low cost. This bill would ban fast-fashion advertisements, impose a progressive environmental tax based on an eco-score system, and require fashion brands to inform consumers of the environmental impact of their clothing products, per The Good Lobby.
This reads much like the bill that the Senate most recently approved. The discrepancy, however, lies in the Senate's version of the bill — specifically the exact language determining which fast-fashion players this bill targets.
The Senate's anti-fast-fashion bill distinguishes two tiers of fast-fashion players: "ultra" and "classic" fast-fashion brands, per Vogue Business.
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"Ultra" fast-fashion brands produce tremendous volumes of fast-fashion products and "who ignore environmental, social, and economic realities," said Jean-Francois Longeot, chair of the Senate's Committee on Regional Planning and Sustainable Development, per Reuters. Longeot specifically pointed out Shein and Temu.
"Classic" fast-fashion brands, including European fast-fashion companies like Zara and Kiabi, are spared the most stringent of the bill's penalties, allowing them to continue operating as usual in the French fashion market.
The updated Senate bill garnered widespread criticism from environmental groups that believe the bill was "a missed opportunity," said Friends of the Earth France's Pierre Condamine, per Euronews.
However, the French Senate asserted that this separation is necessary to prioritize European brands.
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Why is fast fashion important?
Fast-fashion clothing is mass-produced cheaply, causing the clothing to deteriorate quickly. As a result, consumers are constantly replacing them, leading to an enormous amount of textile waste.
According to Greenpeace, the fast-fashion industry produces 92 million tonnes (roughly 101 million tons) of fashion waste and more than 100 billion pieces annually, per Earth.org.
Fashion waste accumulates in landfills and other parts of the environment, including the ocean and the deep sea. Made from synthetic fibers that help keep production costs low, fast-fashion products break down into harmful microplastics that contaminate the sea and can enter the food chain, posing a threat to human and aquatic life.
What can I do to help with fast fashion?
Fast fashion tempts consumers with more affordable price tags. However, breaking up with fast fashion can actually save you more than $200 a year in the long run since you won't have to quickly buy replacements.
Instead, it is better to invest in a few quality pieces that can be worn over and over. They may be more expensive than fast fashion but will hold up over the test of time.
Thrifting also helps reduce textile waste in landfills while providing consumers with a cheaper shopping option for refreshing their wardrobe.
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