“Without delay”, “immediately”: European textile and clothing companies write in a joint letter to the European Commission that they “can no longer wait years for measures to be taken against ultra-fast fashion,” as reported by FashionNetwork.com.

Fashion and textile industry players are growing impatient with the slow pace of legislative action in relation to Shein, Temu and AliExpress, major Asian e-commerce platforms accused of flooding the European market with cut-price, non-compliant products and of engaging in unfair competition, contributing to environmental pollution and relying on exploitative labour practices.

They called on the European Union to take “urgent action” against ultra-fast fashion, to stem the “unprecedented rise in textile waste” and “untenable pressure on European businesses”, noting in a letter seen by AFP that 4.5 billion parcels were imported in 2024 by “the largest third-country e-commerce platforms”.

For these federations, it is imperative to strengthen customs barriers, notably by implementing the reform of the EU Customs Code “immediately”, rather than in a few years’ time.

It provides for the removal of the customs duty exemption for goods valued at under €150, a measure from which the targeted e-commerce behemoths, which ship small parcels from China, currently benefit.

The signatories consider it necessary to speed up ongoing investigations into these platforms and, where necessary, impose “the most severe sanctions” provided for under European regulations. They also recommend introducing “fees on small parcels” and opening “a dialogue with the Chinese authorities.”

Finally, they say it is necessary to “require” these companies to “appoint representatives (…) so that they can be held legally accountable.”

“Act now”

These demands are supported by the representative body Euratex (the European Apparel and Textile Confederation), as well as numerous federations in several countries including France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Greece, Switzerland, Belgium and Portugal.

They will be brought to the attention of the European Commission via a letter signed on Tuesday at the Première Vision trade show in Paris (GL Events), which will then be forwarded to the Commission.

For several months now, Asian e-commerce platforms have faced a backlash from environmental and human rights associations, European companies and the authorities, resulting in investigations, heavy fines and proposed legislation to curb their growth.

These efforts are necessary but insufficient in the eyes of the signatories, for whom the EU has “both the means and the duty to act now”, said Euratex president Mario Jorge Machado in a statement sent to AFP.

“This is the first time that the European federations have agreed on a joint declaration,” said Pierre-François Le Louët, co-president of UFIMH.

This letter represents “the start of concrete action without going through the maze of European decision-making”, said UIT president Olivier Ducatillion.

At the end of August, the French government also wrote to the European Commission urging it to equip itself with “new delisting powers” for e-commerce platforms in breach of EU law, notably targeting Shein.