(Source: "Global Times" 2024-03-16)
The French National Assembly unanimously passed a bill aimed at combating "fast fashion" on the 14th, on the grounds that "fast fashion" causes harm to the environment. France’s Minister of Ecological Transformation and Land Coordination, Bache, said that this vote made France the first country in the world to “legislate to restrict the excessive behavior of ‘fast fashion’”.
According to reports from Agence France-Presse and other media, this bill was proposed by the Horizon Party, a member of the French ruling party alliance. Violand, a member of the party, claimed that the textile industry is the most polluting industry. To this end, the bill will ban the advertising of the cheapest textiles and impose "environmental protection fees" on low-cost products. Related fees will be used to reward brands that actively protect the environment. According to the bill, in the future, what is considered "fast fashion" will be determined through standards such as clothing production volume and the update speed of new clothing. However, the bill still must be voted on by the Senate.
AFP stated that the French National Assembly’s series of measures are particularly aimed at “large-scale manufacturers from China.” The French "Echo" article pointed out that there are some regrettable side effects and unreasonable naive ideas hidden behind this bill, as well as some less legitimate potential motives. The side effect is that the consumers most affected by this bill are not the "fashion victims" who are fascinated by the videos of Internet celebrities, but those buyers with lower incomes. It’s naive because these measures are based on an implicit assumption: if a product is 10 times more expensive, it must be at least 10 times more durable, but this is not always true in many cases. Finally, a less-than-desirable potential motivation is that the law appears to be tailor-made for Chinese companies, neatly avoiding European companies like ZARA or Decathlon, which are also participating in this clothing consumption frenzy. Agence France-Presse quoted calls from non-governmental organizations as saying that China's cross-border fast fashion platform SHEIN or Pinduoduo's overseas version Temu should not only be punished. Brands such as ZARA and H&M must also be targeted.
Xiyin said that the company's clothing supply chain is based on production on demand, which can fundamentally reduce waste. The only impact of this bill will be to further increase the pressure on the cost of living at a time when French consumers are already feeling the crisis of inflationary living costs.
Zhao Yongsheng, researcher at the National Institute for Opening-up at the University of International Business and Economics1told a "Global Times" reporter on the 5th that this bill obviously violates the "free w88" principle that Europeans have advocated for many years, and is also a blatant "anti-globalization" approach. “I think this is a typical case of the ‘Americanization’ of France’s foreign w88, especially its w88 policy towards China.”Zhao Yongshengsaid that this bill aimed at curbing the so-called "fast fashion" is not only logically unreasonable, but also legally untenable. Simply relying on "closing doors" to curb other countries' companies is outdated in today's world and market. The French need to find the reasons within themselves and effectively improve the competitiveness of their products.
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