France Steps Forwards in the Regulation of Fast Fashion

France steps forwards in the regulation of fast fashion: The French National Assembly, on the 14th of March unanimously adopted the “Fast fashion bill” aiming to foster sustainability and awareness in the textile industry by tackling the problem by encouraging consumers to make more conscious choices.

Fast fashion is a consumer trend that emerged in the 90s, characterised by ever faster production at ever lower costs, with endless renewal of collections on the high street taking inspiration from trends seen on runways or worn by celebrities. One of the fundamental issues behind fast fashion is the absence of environmental precautions in production. It is indeed important to emphasise that every year, the textile industry is responsible for more than 15% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, but also for social problems with the exploitation of workers who are often underpaid and lack basic protection.

Consumer awareness

The aim is to implement restrictions, particularly on the production of single-use clothing, and incentives with messages to raise awareness of the environmental impact and encourage recycling and repair on the websites of the brands concerned. Lastly, measures will be taken to ensure that working conditions in manufacturing factories are improved. The text provides for a penalty of 50% of the pre-tax selling price per product. By 2030, this amount could rise to €10 per product. An amendment has been tabled setting out the stages for reaching this price, with the first stage at €5 per product purchased in 2025.

New prohibitions and penalties

From 1 January 2025, entities involved in this mass production of garments will be banned from advertising directly and indirectly their products thorough social networks and non-compliant behaviours will be charged with financial penalties .

This first initiative marks an important step in the fight against the environmental and social impact of this industry. But it follows on from several existing laws in France focusing on sustainability and corporate social responsibility.

This desire, clearly expressed by the French government and members of parliament, sends out a strong signal to both businesses and consumers, encouraging them to rethink their consumption habits.