![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/d861.png\")
Ian LANGSDON \/ AFP<\/p>\n
Cheap, low-quality, easy to buy, highly polluting and constantly renewed \u2014 such garments now flood the market and challenge traditional players in the textile industry. But will their unchecked flow into France finally be regulated?<\/p>\n
That is the aim of the bill under debate Monday evening in the upper house. Originally introduced by Horizons party lawmaker Anne-C\u00e9cile Violland, the proposal to reduce the textile industry’s environmental impact was passed by the National Assembly in March 2024 but had since stalled in the Senate. A formal vote is scheduled for Tuesday, June 10.<\/p>\n
The issue is urgent. Between 2010 and 2023, the volume of clothing released on the French market rose from 2.3 billion to 3.2 billion units.\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to France\u2019s environment agency Ademe, more than 48 garments per person are placed on the market annually, and 35 are discarded every second.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese giants of ultra-fast fashion are invading the market unchecked. We need to establish rules and hit them as hard as possible,\u201d said Republican Senator Sylvie Valente Le Hir, who is presenting the bill in the Senate.<\/p>\n
Also denouncing what she called an \u201cinvasion,\u201d Minister for Ecological Transition<\/a> Agn\u00e8s Pannier-Runacher emphasized during a visit to the Rh\u00f4ne region on Monday that the textile industry is \u201cthe most polluting sector in the world,\u201d particularly in terms of carbon emissions.<\/p>\n In the face of this \u201cunstoppable wave\u201d of products \u201cthat don\u2019t last,\u201d the minister praised the bill as \u201ca very bold law\u201d \u2014 the first of its kind in Europe \u2014 though she acknowledged it \u201cwon\u2019t solve everything.\u201d<\/p>\n Targeting the ultra-disposable<\/p>\n Among the key measures in the bill is an official definition of \u201cfast fashion,\u201d with criteria based on production volume, frequency of collection turnover, product lifespan, and the lack of incentive to repair. Companies identified under these criteria would be required to raise consumer awareness of the environmental impact of their clothing.<\/p>\n The proposal also introduces stricter penalties through a revised \u201cbonus-malus\u201d system that factors in the environmental costs of overproduction.<\/p>\n However, differences have emerged between the National Assembly and the Senate. While the Assembly favors linking penalties to a new environmental labeling system, the Senate \u2014 in agreement with the government \u2014 removed this reference during committee review. It prefers criteria tied to durability and business practices.<\/p>\n This updated version aims to specifically target the \u201cultra-fast\u201d fashion of Asian giants, particularly Shein. According to the Senate committee\u2019s rapporteurs, a framework has been designed to clearly distinguish ultra-fast fashion giants \u2014 for whom being a multi-brand platform is merely a legal loophole \u2014 from legitimate marketplaces. In doing so, the Senate hopes to protect European and French retailers that may have been unintentionally affected by the Assembly\u2019s version, including chains like Kiabi<\/a>, Zara<\/a> and H&M<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/885a.jpg\")
The revised bill mainly targets Chinese companies like Shein et Temu. – DR<\/p>\n