Eco-tax measures introduced: France will levy up to €10 per item by 2030 on ultra-fast fashion goods, with funds directed to support sustainable local fashion.
Ad and influencer ban enacted: Advertising and influencer promotion of ultra-fast fashion will be banned to curb overconsumption, especially among youth.
Mandatory eco-disclosures required: Retailers must display carbon, resource, and recyclability data with each item, with penalties up to 50% of the product price for non-compliance.
France has passed sweeping legislation to rein in the environmental fallout of ultra-fast fashion, becoming the first major economy to take direct aim at global e-commerce giants like SHEIN and Temu.
Approved by the French Senate on 10 June 2025 with near-unanimous support (337 votes to 1), the bill imposes eco-taxes, bans advertising of ultra-fast fashion, and mandates sustainability disclosures. It now heads to a joint committee in September and requires notification to the European Commission for compliance with EU law.
“Seeing a strong positioning of France against fast fashion is a powerful sign in a period where sustainability seems forgotten behind economic pressure to grow,” wrote Marco Longhin, Global Circularity Manager at SHL Medical.
Eco-Tax to Curb Fast Fashion Waste
Starting in 2025, ultra-fast fashion items sold in France will carry a €5 surcharge, rising to €10 by 2030, capped at 50% of retail price. The revenue will fund France’s sustainable fashion sector.
Retailers that fail to meet minimum environmental standards face additional penalties of at least €10 per item or up to half the product’s pre-tax price.
Ad Ban Targets Digital Promotion
The bill bans all advertising and influencer marketing related to ultra-fast fashion. This includes social media platforms, where brands like SHEIN and Temu flourish. Influencers who promote such brands could also face sanctions.
Jean-François Longeot, Chair of the Senate’s Sustainable Development Committee, said the changes “make it possible to target players who ignore environmental, social, and economic realities… notably Shein and Temu, without penalising the European ready-to-wear sector.”
Mandatory Environmental Transparency
All fashion retailers must now provide environmental disclosures at the point of sale, including data on carbon emissions, resource consumption, and recyclability. An eco-score system will rank items’ sustainability and influence tax rates—rewarding environmentally conscious brands.
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“We have enough clothes for six generations,” wrote Vojtech Vosecky, Founder of The Circular Economist, on LinkedIn, underscoring the scale of the overconsumption crisis.
Uneven Impact Raises Concerns
European brands such as Zara, H&M, and Kiabi will be exempt from the ad ban and higher-tier surcharges, though still subject to transparency rules. Environmental groups have criticized this exemption, arguing it reflects economic protectionism over environmental urgency.
Additional proposed measures include taxing non-EU imports and banning free returns, aimed at discouraging the business model of high-volume, low-cost imports.
Sector Shake-Up
The legislation comes amid rising financial pressure on French fashion retailers. Brands like Jennyfer and NafNaf have already entered liquidation or receivership, as they struggle to compete with ultra-low-price imports.
In response, SHEIN rejected the characterization as “ultra-fast fashion”, stating, “Shein is not a fast fashion company… its model is part of the solution, not the problem.”
France discards 35 clothing items every second, highlighting the urgency of regulatory intervention. The law, if enacted, could redefine the European fashion landscape and set a new global benchmark for sustainability in the sector.
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