The French Senate overwhelmingly backed a new bill designed to regulate low-cost clothing giants on Tuesday, mainly targeting Chinese e-commerce platforms Shein and Temu.
The text aims to tackle the environmental and economic consequences of fast fashion, a model that thrives on mass production and low prices.
The legislation introduces an eco-score system that will evaluate the environmental impact of products sold by fast fashion companies, including emissions, resource use, and recyclability.
Brands with the lowest scores could be taxed up to €5 per item starting in 2025, increasing to €10 by 2030. However, the tax cannot exceed 50% of the item’s retail price.
It also includes a ban on advertising for ultra-fast fashion brands and sanctions for influencers who promote them online.
While the bill takes aim at ultra-fast fashion platforms like Shein and Temu, it notably spares major European players such as Zara, H&M, and Kiabi from the harshest penalties.
Environmental groups have criticised the revised bill for what they see as a weakened ambition.
“It’s a missed opportunity,” said Pierre Condamine, campaign manager at Friends of the Earth France.
“We’ve got a text that’s going to target two brands and therefore leave out what represents at least 90% of production and clothing sold in France. So it’s a missed opportunity. We could have a real environmental ambition. 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 sector towards more sustainable practices,” he told Euronews.
But some French lawmakers argue the bill needs to protect European industries first. “Unfortunately, we have no choice,” said conservative Senator Sylvie Valente Le Hir.
“Today, we still have to defend what’s left of our European industries. We have to make a distinction between the production that’s done in China by these giants. We’re talking about scales that are 100 times larger than us. So we’re preserving European and French industries for the time being, because if we don’t, there will be nothing left,” she told Euronews.
Shein spokesperson Quentin Ruffat responded to the bill earlier this week, warning that the text could “impact the purchasing power” of French consumers.
Between 2010 and 2023, the value of advertised fast fashion products in France rose from €2.3 billion to €3.2 billion.
In France, 35 clothing items are discarded every second, according to the country’s environment agency Ademe.
The Senate passed the bill with 337 votes in favour and only one against. The text will now move to a joint committee of senators and deputies in September.
The European Commission will also need to be notified to ensure the bill complies with EU regulations.
If passed, it would mark one of the most aggressive legislative efforts in Europe to address the toll of fast fashion, though its ultimate impact remains to be seen.
