France’s Senate considered a bill against the environmental and economic impact of fast fashion this week, with legislators targeting large players like SHEIN. The bill, initially passed by the National Assembly in March last year, was redrafted by a Senate committee to bring in more stringent penalties against ultra-fast fashion brands, most of which have Chinese origins.
The bill would seek to stem the tide of low-cost, disposable fashion that enters the French market—a flow that environmental authorities claim results in the disposal of 35 pieces of clothing per second nationwide. The imports, critics say, are mass-produced and sold online at fire-sale prices, beating out local brands and driving unsustainable consumption.
Senator Sylvie Valente Le Hir, a member of the center-right Republicans party, singled out what she called “Chinese ultra-fast fashion giants” for creating “unfair competition” for local companies. She said during Monday’s session that they need to lay down the rules and impose the toughest possible penalties.
The bill would officially define fast fashion based on production quantity, frequency of new offerings, durability of products and absence of incentives to repair clothing. Those companies that meet those standards would have to report the environmental cost in which their clothes are made to the consumers.
Its previous version, which the lower house approved, had a system of environmental marking, which gave products scores on their environmental impact. But the Senate panel, with government support, deleted that measure in favour of determining penalties based on the overall sustainability and business practices of corporations—especially online businesses.
Legislators say the switch enables better regulation of online sellers such as SHEIN, while easing the regulatory shock for European brands that have to play by more stringent rules.
Valente Le Hir said that their objective is to preserve the brands they have left, brands that are affordable for all French people.
