France’s bid to crack down on fast fashion is getting a rewrite – and the likes of Shein and Temu are expected to bear the brunt of the amended bill. French senators are redrafting a high-profile piece of legislation intended to reduce the environmental footprint of low-cost, high-volume clothing and address the market distortions that these ultra-fast fashion giants are accused of creating.
More than a year after the proposed anti-fast fashion law passed in the French National Assembly, France’s “right-leaning Senate is redrafting the bill … to narrow its scope to mainly Chinese online retailers” and “destructive” model of ultra-fast and ultra-cheap fashion, according to Bloomberg. Senators are expected to vote on the amended bill next week, but the lower house will have the final say. Once rewritten, the proposed law “will put the brakes on these Chinese giants who are invading us without any controls, without any standards, without paying any taxes in France,” said Senator Sylvie Valente Le Hir, one of the leading voices behind the soon-to-be amended bill.
The bill is part of France’s broader attempt to tackle a surge in imports of disposable garments and accessories that critics say undermine both sustainability goals and domestic industry. According to the Ministry for Ecological Transition, just a few platforms engaged in high-speed fashion cycles generate over €5 billion in sales annually in France. Between 2010 and 2023, the number of garments released into the French market surged from 2.3 billion to 3.2 billion, according to the French Environment and Energy Management Agency. The country now sees more than 48 garments introduced per resident per year, and 35 items discarded every second.
The stakes go beyond environmental damage. Le Hir emphasized the threat to accessible French fashion brands like Kiabi, which are struggling to compete with rock-bottom prices and massive product turnover. “We must preserve these businesses,” she said.
A Lighter Regulatory Approach?
The original anti-fast fashion legislation was introduced in March 2023 by Deputy Anne-Cécile Violland, a member of the centrist Horizons party, amid mounting concern about the textile industry’s impact on climate, waste, and labor. Touted as a first-of-its-kind initiative in Europe, the bill sought to reduce the environmental and social costs of fast fashion by introducing financial penalties, advertising restrictions, and support mechanisms for sustainable alternatives.
At its core, the proposal aimed to combat what Violland called the “systemic overproduction” of cheap, short-lived clothing that encourages overconsumption and generates massive waste. It gained broad political support early on, passing unanimously in the National Assembly in June 2023 – a rare show of unity around climate and industrial reform. But its path through the Senate has proved more complicated.
The Senate’s revised draft has attracted criticism for softening key provisions. The bill no longer includes a firm ban on advertising nor significant financial penalties based on environmental scoring, measures that environmental NGOs say were essential to meaningful enforcement. Deputy Anne-Cécile Violland, who authored the original bill, has publicly decried the Senate’s modifications. After 15 months of political back-and-forth, she described the latest version as “completely unraveled,” warning that lobbying efforts by target companies have eroded the bill’s ambition to “almost nothing.”
Senator Le Hir defends the changes as pragmatic. She confirmed meeting with Shein executives during consultations but insists the legislation remains enforceable and grounded in France’s broader industrial interests. The goal, she said, is to act quickly and avoid legal pitfalls that could delay or stand in the way of the bill altogether.
For now, the Senate’s vote on June 10 will offer the clearest signal to date of whether France intends to lead the charge in Europe’s regulatory response to fast fashion – or whether, faced with political and commercial pressures, it will opt to take a lighter regulatory approach.
