After months of delays in Parliament, France’s Senate is reviewing a bill on Monday to curb the rise of fast fashion. The legislation targets low-cost, short-lived clothing imported in massive volumes from China, with fast-fashion giant Shein at the center of the debate.

Cheap, low-quality, easy to buy, highly polluting and constantly renewed — such garments now flood the market and challenge traditional players in the textile industry. But will their unchecked flow into France finally be regulated?

That is the aim of the bill under debate Monday evening in the upper house. Originally introduced by Horizons party lawmaker Anne-Cécile Violland, the proposal to reduce the textile industry’s environmental impact was passed by the National Assembly in March 2024 but had since stalled in the Senate. A formal vote is scheduled for Tuesday, June 10.

The issue is urgent. Between 2010 and 2023, the volume of clothing released on the French market rose from 2.3 billion to 3.2 billion units. 

According to France’s environment agency Ademe, more than 48 garments per person are placed on the market annually, and 35 are discarded every second.

“These giants of ultra-fast fashion are invading the market unchecked. We need to establish rules and hit them as hard as possible,” said Republican Senator Sylvie Valente Le Hir, who is presenting the bill in the Senate.

Also denouncing what she called an “invasion,” Minister for Ecological Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher emphasized during a visit to the Rhône region on Monday that the textile industry is “the most polluting sector in the world,” particularly in terms of carbon emissions.

In the face of this “unstoppable wave” of products “that don’t last,” the minister praised the bill as “a very bold law” — the first of its kind in Europe — though she acknowledged it “won’t solve everything.”

Targeting the ultra-disposable

Among the key measures in the bill is an official definition of “fast fashion,” with criteria based on production volume, frequency of collection turnover, product lifespan, and the lack of incentive to repair. Companies identified under these criteria would be required to raise consumer awareness of the environmental impact of their clothing.

The proposal also introduces stricter penalties through a revised “bonus-malus” system that factors in the environmental costs of overproduction.

However, differences have emerged between the National Assembly and the Senate. While the Assembly favors linking penalties to a new environmental labeling system, the Senate — in agreement with the government — removed this reference during committee review. It prefers criteria tied to durability and business practices.

This updated version aims to specifically target the “ultra-fast” fashion of Asian giants, particularly Shein. According to the Senate committee’s rapporteurs, a framework has been designed to clearly distinguish ultra-fast fashion giants — for whom being a multi-brand platform is merely a legal loophole — from legitimate marketplaces. In doing so, the Senate hopes to protect European and French retailers that may have been unintentionally affected by the Assembly’s version, including chains like Kiabi, Zara and H&M.

“We’re drawing a clear line between European express fashion retailers and ultra-fast fashion platforms,” said Senator Valente Le Hir. “We’ll use a defined threshold of daily product listings, to be set by decree, to distinguish between the two. Express fashion retailers may release 50 to 100 new items a day, while ultra-fast fashion platforms can launch as many as 10,000 — making the distinction relatively easy to formalize.

“Across local communities, express fashion brands play a role in keeping shopping malls, retail parks, and town centers active. We want to support that. These retailers are already subject to regulatory oversight. They’re not perfect, but they operate within a monitored framework. Ultra-fast fashion, on the other hand, produces massive waste. A low price often comes with a very high cost.”

As expected, the Senate proposed its own version of the text after committee review, which now serves as the foundation for this week’s debates in the upper house. More than 100 amendments were filed by senators, along with around 15 by the government.

Advertising and lobbying

Several points are expected to spark intense debate. The environmental and human rights coalition Stop Fast Fashion — which includes organizations such as Emmaüs and France Nature Environnement — has warned that the Senate’s revisions could turn the bill into “an empty shell with no deterrent power.”

One of the key questions will be whether fast-fashion brands should be banned entirely from advertising.

The Senate majority — a center-right alliance — has rejected a full advertising ban, arguing that it could infringe on entrepreneurial freedom and raise constitutional concerns. “We want a law that can be implemented quickly,” Valente Le Hir told reporters. “That’s what brands and retailers are asking for.” As a compromise, she proposed restricting the ban to social media influencers. However, the government supports a total ban and plans to push for its reinstatement, backed by left-wing parties.

Behind the scenes, lawmakers have pointed to intense lobbying by fast-fashion companies — particularly Shein, which recently appointed former Interior Minister Christophe Castaner to an advisory committee on corporate social responsibility.

“This distorts the process and creates the impression that hiring a former minister is enough to influence lawmakers. That shows a poor understanding of how the Senate works,” said Republican Senator Didier Mandelli on Monday.

Once the bill passes the Senate, it will move to a joint committee where representatives from both chambers will finalize the text.

With AFP