France Is Cracking Down on Ultra-Fast Fashion: Here's What You Need to Know
The country has taken a bold stand against ultra-fast fashion. Will the world follow suit?
If you use social media, you may have seen a growing phenomenon over the past few years: the rise of the “#SheinHaul”. In these videos, influencers across the globe unpack and model large quantities of clothing from the China-based brand Shein. While these hauls showcase affordability and variety, they ignore a dark truth. Ultra-fast fashion retailers like Shein contribute to drastically soaring emissions, mounting textile waste, and troubling labor and environmental practices. As the true cost of this business model becomes harder to ignore, France has taken a bold step to address the damage. In June 2025, the French Parliament made waves when they passed a bill targeting ultra-fast fashion giants like Shein and Temu, aiming to hold brands accountable for their environmental impact.
The Rise (and Consequences) of Fast Fashion
Fast fashion, in its simplest terms, refers to clothing and accessories produced quickly, cheaply, and sold at extremely low prices. Over recent years, it has increasingly been recognized as an environmentally and ethically troubling industry.
The roots of fast fashion can be traced to the 1990s, when brands like Zara and Forever 21 pioneered the model of accelerated production cycles and trend replication1. These brands could bring a garment from design to store shelves in just weeks, offering trendy items at a low price point and encouraging consumers to shop frequently and discard old clothes just as often.
But in recent years, a more extreme version of this model has taken hold. The emergence of ultra-fast fashion has pushed the boundaries of speed, scale, and cost. Brands like Shein and Temu, which operate using fully online models, produce new styles at mind boggling speeds. They eliminate much of the traditional retail overhead and have a global reach.
The result is an explosion of cheap, trendy clothing. Most of these pieces are made from synthetic fibers like polyester and are produced in conditions that often raise ethical concerns. As can be expected, ultra-fast fashion is often not designed to stand the test of time, and frequently is discarded after a limited period of use.
The Environmental Toll of Fast Fashion
The global fashion industry is among the most resource-intensive sectors on the planet. It accounts for 10 percent of global carbon emissions, more than the emissions from international flights and maritime shipping combined2.
Fashion is also the second-largest consumer of water worldwide3. The production of a single cotton shirt can require over 700 gallons of water4. The dyeing and treatment of textiles pollute waterways with harmful chemicals, affecting both ecosystems and communities.
Synthetic fibers, including polyester, nylon, and acrylic, are favored by fast fashion brands for their low cost. However, these materials are derived from fossil fuels and are not biodegradable. When washed, they shed microplastics that infiltrate oceans and water supplies. And as more synthetic garments are produced and discarded, waste piles up. Massive amounts of unsold or discarded clothing end up in landfills or are shipped to developing nations, where they often overwhelm local waste systems. In places like Ghana, beaches and landfills are choked with unwanted garments from Western countries5.
A dramatic example of this growing crisis lies in northern Chile’s Atacama Desert6, one of the driest places on Earth. Near the town of Alto Hospicio, mountains of discarded fast-fashion garments stretch across the desert floor, forming illegal dumps visible from space. These clothes, mostly synthetic and non-biodegradable, arrive through the nearby free-trade zone in Iquique, where only a small portion is resold or reused. The rest are dumped in open-air landfills that now cover dozens of hectares. An estimated 60,000 tons of used clothing end up here each year. With limited oversight, many of these garments are eventually burned, releasing toxic fumes and microplastics into the air and soil, further contaminating the fragile desert ecosystem.
France Takes the Lead
On June 10, 2025, the French Parliament passed a groundbreaking bill aimed at curbing the environmental and social damage caused by ultra-fast fashion7. The legislation passed with overwhelming support, signaling a clear national commitment to tackling fashion’s impact.
Interestingly, even ultra-fast fashion giant Shein has had its climate goals approved by the Science Based Targets initiative’s (SBTi) Net-Zero Standard8. In May 2025, the company pledged to reach net-zero emissions across its entire value chain by 2050. Despite these commitments, sustainability experts remain unconvinced. Between 2022 and 2023, Shein’s carbon dioxide emissions reportedly doubled9, and by 2024, its CO2 emissions from transportation alone were more than 8.5 million metric tonnes; more than three times those of Zara owner Inditex10. The message from French regulators is clear: bold climate pledges mean little if the core business model still hinges on speed, volume, and disposability. It may take regulation, not just promises, to ultimately rein in fast fashion.
Rather than standing alone, the bill builds upon France’s broader environmental agenda, including earlier laws enacted since 2020 that seek to reduce waste and promote a circular economy11. This latest amendment targets ultra-fast fashion companies, like Shein and Temu, that produce massive quantities of clothing in minimal time.
The proposed legislation is now set to be reviewed by a joint parliamentary committee in September, and the European Commission will need to ensure it complies with EU-wide regulations. If implemented, it would be one of the most aggressive pieces of anti-fast fashion legislation in the world.
What the French Bill Proposes
At the core of the French bill is a new legal category ‘ultra-express fashion.’ This term applies to brands or platforms that release a high volume of new product styles in rapid succession and show little to no incentive for repair or reuse. It also encompasses online marketplaces and third-party sellers that facilitate this model. The law empowers the French government to define specific thresholds and criteria, such as the number of styles released and the platform’s role in the sales process, through secondary legislation, allowing for flexible and adaptive enforcement.
Another important topic is the new environmental scoring system12. Each clothing item sold by fast fashion retailers will be evaluated for its environmental impact. This includes metrics such as carbon emissions, resource consumption, and recyclability. Companies that score poorly on these metrics will face additional financial penalties.
From 2025, these companies may be taxed up to five euros per item. That figure could rise to ten euros by 2030. The total tax applied to any item cannot exceed 50 percent of its retail value. This tiered system is designed to incentivize more sustainable production practices, pushing brands to prioritize quality and longevity over quantity.
Beyond financial penalties, the law also proposes a ban on advertising and influencer marketing for ultra-fast fashion brands. This could dramatically reduce the visibility of companies like Shein, which rely heavily on influencer-driven social media campaigns to generate demand. Influencers are often shown on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok modeling a “haul” from the company, and providing affiliate links for their followers. This type of content would no longer be allowed if the law goes into effect, and violations of the ad and influencer marketing ban can incur fines up to €100,000.
Transparency and environmental literacy are another key component. Retailers will be required to display clear information on the environmental characteristics of each product. This includes carbon footprint data, resource usage, and whether the item can be recycled. The goal is to empower consumers with knowledge and to make environmental impact a visible factor in purchasing decisions.
Global Implications and Mixed Reactions
Environmental advocates have cautiously welcomed the French legislation, viewing it as an important step toward holding fashion companies accountable. However, some critics point out that the law targets only the most extreme offenders while leaving larger, established fast fashion companies relatively untouched. H&M, Zara, and other traditional players, while not as aggressive as Shein or Temu, still contribute significantly to overproduction and waste.
Others worry about enforcement, especially given that many ultra-fast fashion companies are based outside the European Union. Taxing imported goods and ensuring compliance with advertising bans could present logistical and legal challenges.
Despite these concerns, many see France’s move as a potential model for broader international regulation. France is a major fashion hub with a long and prestigious fashion history. If it can take meaningful action to curb harmful practices, it could inspire similar measures in other countries.
Already, some localities are following suit. In the United States, New York State has proposed the Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act13. This bill would require large brands selling within the state to disclose their supply chains and set environmental targets. Though not yet passed, it reflects growing legislative interest in reining in fashion’s negative externalities.
Looking Ahead
The French bill is far from a total solution to the issues fast fashion has created. Even if enacted in full, it will not dismantle the industry overnight. But, it marks a critical shift. For years, fashion brands have operated with minimal oversight, prioritizing speed and volume at the expense of people and the planet. France’s legislation suggests that era may be coming to an end.
For consumers, the message is equally important. The way we shop and the frequency with which we discard clothing has a direct impact on the world around us. Change is not only the responsibility of lawmakers and corporations. Individuals also have the power to drive reform by supporting sustainable brands, reducing consumption, and demanding transparency.
As our awareness of climate change, pollution, and social justice deepens, our fashion choices must evolve as well. The days of cheap, disposable fashion may not be entirely behind us, but their hold on the industry is beginning to weaken.
If we want a fashion industry that values craftsmanship over quantity, transparency over opacity, and long-term well-being over short-term profit, it starts with regulation, innovation, and awareness. France has taken a significant first step. The rest of the world should be watching.
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