Latest news with #SylvieValenteLeHir
Fashion United
a day ago
- Business
- Fashion United
French senate passes advertising ban for fast fashion
Regarding the 'anti-fast fashion' bill, debated on June 2, 2025, the Sénat enacted a general ban on advertising, which French senators in committee had opposed. With the government's support and thanks to lobbying by fashion federations, the Sénat reinstated the article that provided for a general ban on advertising ultra-fast fashion in traditional media (terms to be defined). While rapporteur Sylvie Valente Le Hir (Les Républicains affiliate) insisted that advertising cannot be prohibited, 'this could be considered as disproportionately infringing on the freedom to conduct business, with regard to the environmental protection objective pursued', the federations used their lobbying power. 'We understand and respect the Sénat's integrity, but it is not up to the challenge,' said French Federation of Women's Ready-to-Wear (FFPAPF) president Yann Rivoallan, a staunch opponent of Shein, interviewed by FashionUnited following this turnaround. 'One of the levers that allows Shein to grow at a frantic pace is precisely its colossal advertising spending. But advertising is both its strength and its Achilles' heel.' Eu validation of advertising ban for ultra fast fashion? The risk? That this decision may not be compatible with European regulations. In Europe, the possibility of banning advertising, even if it does not concern explicitly prohibited subjects (such as tobacco or products harmful to health), is limited by principles of economic freedom. On this subject, Minister for Ecological Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher replied that she was 'doing politics'. According to her, a vote 'carried by all the political groups' of the Sénat next week, after the unanimous yes vote by the deputies, will be 'a vote that will be heard', likely to shift the lines at the European level. 'Moreover,' commented the FFPAPF president, 'it is possible to override European law provided that financial penalties are paid. To avoid this, we insisted that fast fashion brands engage in greenwashing, as demonstrated by Paris Good Fashion.' He also recalled that the American platform Wish was referred to the courts in 2021, due to the sale of products (electrical appliances, toys and jewellery) deemed non-compliant and dangerous. An exceptional measure in France that forced the platform to review its model to be present online again. 'It was a small American platform; with China, it's more difficult,' Rivoallan pointed out. The bill will therefore be subject to a formal vote in the Sénat on June 10, 2025. As the government has triggered the accelerated procedure, the next step will be a joint committee to reconcile the versions of the two chambers. This article was translated to English using an AI tool. FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@
Fashion Network
2 days ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
French senate amends fast-fashion bill to target Shein, Temu
French senators are seeking to sharpen planned legislation aimed at regulating fast fashion to target sellers of ultra-cheap clothing such as Chinese-founded Shein Group Ltd. and Temu. The right-leaning Senate is redrafting the bill, which passed unanimously in the lower house of parliament last year, to narrow its scope to mainly Chinese online retailers. Senators are expected to vote on the bill next week, but the National Assembly will have the final say. The minister for ecological transition, Agnes Pannier-Runacher, has said the government backs the legislation, though the details are still under discussion. The amended bill aims to limit environmental harm by clamping down on ultra-cheap clothing from brands like Shein and Temu. Critics of fast-fashion imports say the high-turnover clothing also leads to unfair competition for local brands as well as unsustainable consumption. 'This text 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. The revised legislation, however, waters down some provisions on banning advertising and financial penalties based on the environmental score for clothing, spurring criticism from nongovernmental organizations. The bill could further complicate Shein's plans to list the company, which was founded in China and is now headquartered in Singapore. Quentin Ruffat, a spokesman for Shein in France, decried the measures under consideration on RTL radio Monday, saying 'we are the only ones targeted.' Separately, France is pushing to slap fees on small packages from discount retailers as soon as in 2026, as Paris fears that US tariffs will accelerate the flood of cheap goods entering Europe, mainly from China. There are currently no levies on parcels under €150 in Europe.
Fashion Network
2 days ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
French senate amends fast-fashion bill to target Shein, Temu
French senators are seeking to sharpen planned legislation aimed at regulating fast fashion to target sellers of ultra-cheap clothing such as Chinese-founded Shein Group Ltd. and Temu. The right-leaning Senate is redrafting the bill, which passed unanimously in the lower house of parliament last year, to narrow its scope to mainly Chinese online retailers. Senators are expected to vote on the bill next week, but the National Assembly will have the final say. The minister for ecological transition, Agnes Pannier-Runacher, has said the government backs the legislation, though the details are still under discussion. The amended bill aims to limit environmental harm by clamping down on ultra-cheap clothing from brands like Shein and Temu. Critics of fast-fashion imports say the high-turnover clothing also leads to unfair competition for local brands as well as unsustainable consumption. 'This text 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. The revised legislation, however, waters down some provisions on banning advertising and financial penalties based on the environmental score for clothing, spurring criticism from nongovernmental organizations. The bill could further complicate Shein's plans to list the company, which was founded in China and is now headquartered in Singapore. Quentin Ruffat, a spokesman for Shein in France, decried the measures under consideration on RTL radio Monday, saying 'we are the only ones targeted.' Separately, France is pushing to slap fees on small packages from discount retailers as soon as in 2026, as Paris fears that US tariffs will accelerate the flood of cheap goods entering Europe, mainly from China. There are currently no levies on parcels under €150 in Europe.
Fashion Network
2 days ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
French senate amends fast-fashion bill to target Shein, Temu
French senators are seeking to sharpen planned legislation aimed at regulating fast fashion to target sellers of ultra-cheap clothing such as Chinese-founded Shein Group Ltd. and Temu. The right-leaning Senate is redrafting the bill, which passed unanimously in the lower house of parliament last year, to narrow its scope to mainly Chinese online retailers. Senators are expected to vote on the bill next week, but the National Assembly will have the final say. The minister for ecological transition, Agnes Pannier-Runacher, has said the government backs the legislation, though the details are still under discussion. The amended bill aims to limit environmental harm by clamping down on ultra-cheap clothing from brands like Shein and Temu. Critics of fast-fashion imports say the high-turnover clothing also leads to unfair competition for local brands as well as unsustainable consumption. 'This text 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. The revised legislation, however, waters down some provisions on banning advertising and financial penalties based on the environmental score for clothing, spurring criticism from nongovernmental organizations. The bill could further complicate Shein's plans to list the company, which was founded in China and is now headquartered in Singapore. Quentin Ruffat, a spokesman for Shein in France, decried the measures under consideration on RTL radio Monday, saying 'we are the only ones targeted.' Separately, France is pushing to slap fees on small packages from discount retailers as soon as in 2026, as Paris fears that US tariffs will accelerate the flood of cheap goods entering Europe, mainly from China. There are currently no levies on parcels under €150 in Europe.
eNCA
3 days ago
- Business
- eNCA
France's upper house debates fast-fashion bill
PARIS - France's Senate on Monday debated a bill to regulate the influx of environmentally unfriendly, low-quality clothes into the country, many from China. The lower house of parliament adopted a version of the so-called "fast fashion" bill in March last year, but a commission in the right-leaning Senate has sought some changes that backers say will better target Chinese-founded brands such as Shein. With cheap, low-quality brands increasingly flooding the market, 35 items of clothing are thrown away in France every second, according to the French environment agency. Sylvie Valente Le Hir, a senator from the right-wing Republicans party, accused "Chinese giants of ultra-fast fashion" of bringing "unfair competition" to local brands. "We need to establish rules, hit them as hard as possible," she said. The proposed law would define "fast fashion" according to production rates, collection turnover, the lifespan of clothes and "poor incentives" to repair them. Companies producing such throwaway items would be obliged to inform customers about the environmental cost of buying their products. The bill would introduce sanctions on companies according to the environmental impact of the clothes they sell. Members of the National Assembly lower house approved pegging these sanctions to so-called eco-labelling, which would mean giving a clothing item a certain number of points according to its effect on the planet. But senators, in agreement with the government, scrapped that measure in a commission reading. Senators instead want to calculate punitive measures according to the "sustainability" and "commercial practices" of e-commerce platforms. They argue this would enable more regulations for websites such as Shein, and reduce adverse effects for French and other European businesses. "We really want to preserve the brands we have left, brands that are affordable for all French people," Hir said. Stop Fast Fashion, a coalition of non-governmental organisations focusing on human rights and the environment, has warned the recent changes mean any bill would amount to an "empty shell, without any deterrent effect". Pressure has mounted on Shein in recent days.
