French Senate backs law to regulate ultra fast fashion giants Shein and Temu

Cheap to buy and quick to toss, fast fashion has flooded the French market.

In the country alone, 35 clothing items are thrown away every second.

And now, French lawmakers are trying to rein it in.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Senate gave sweeping support to a new bill aimed at regulating the industry.

The target?

Chinese giants like Shein and Timu, accused of pushing low-cost clothes at a high environmental cost.

The proposed law introduces eco-taxes of up to 10 euros per item by 2030, bans advertising and restricts influencers from promoting such brands.

But critics argue the law has been watered down under pressure from the fast fashion lobbies.

European brands like Zara and H&M are spared from the harsher sanctions.

which represents at least 90% of the production and clothing sold in France.

So it's really a missed opportunity to have a real text with an ambition and real environmental possibilities and that we regret enormously because we finally see that it is economic protection that will become the major engine of this text, while at the base there was really this ambition to make the sector evolve towards sustainable practices.

But some French lawmakers argue the bill needs to protect European industries first.

The bill still faces a final review by a joint committee in September and approval from the European Commission.