France’s Senate has approved a revised bill aimed at ultra-fast fashion e-commerce platforms including Shein, Temu and AliExpress, a week after the National Assembly cleared the legislation.
The law introduces a per-item charge on mass-produced clothing, which is set to increase over time.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
It also imposes a ban on advertising for ultra-fast fashion brands, extending to promotional activity by social media influencers.
Companies are categorised as ultra-fast fashion operators based on two factors: how much clothing they release into the market, and how the cost of repairing a garment compares with its original purchase price.
According to a France 24 report, the per-item charge will move along a defined scale according to how brands rate against these two measures, climbing to as much as €20 ($23) per item by 2030, capped at half the product’s pre-tax price.
A portion of the revenue raised will go towards building up collection and recycling infrastructure.
The legislation further obliges ultra-fast fashion companies to carry messaging on their websites that encourages more measured consumption habits including reuse and repair of clothing.
Trade Minister Serge Papin, referenced in the report, said the legislation is directed at the companies most responsible for the growth of ultra-fast fashion.
The bill has drawn criticism for leaving out some European and French retailers, prompting some left-wing lawmakers across both chambers to abstain from the vote.
Questions remain over how the advertising ban will be enforced, with the European Commission (EC) raising doubts about whether the bill’s advertising rules align with EU law.
According to the report, Anne-Cecile Violland, the centre-right MP behind the bill, said that lawmakers required legislation capable of being passed “very quickly and be operational”.
She noted that the French Government modelled the measure on the logic used in advertising rules for alcohol and tobacco, while acknowledging that France would not be able to enforce it should the EC object.
The report noted that the textile sector contributes close to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
