Setting Trends: France Firms Up Fast Fashion Law
June 20, 2025
A law in France to regulate fast fashion firms’ environmental performance and advertising activities has passed its latest regulatory hurdle and appears on track to be finalised later this year.
The law is targeted towards and expected to most acutely affect ultra-fast fashion giants, such as global fashion online retailers Shein and Temu. It is also anticipated to impact other established brands with fast fashion traits, such as H&M and Zara.
The bill passed in France’s Senate last week with 337 votes cast in favour and a solitary vote cast against. The legislation previously passed unanimously through France’s National Assembly in March 2024.
This autumn, a joint committee of senators and deputies from the National Assembly will need to draft a joint text before the final adoption of the law.
The bill will implement an ‘eco-score’ system, levying penalties on fast fashion firms with poor environmental performance. It is also set to introduce a complete ban on ultra-fast fashion brands’ advertising in France.
The fines for fast and ultra-fast fashion companies not meeting environmental thresholds would be €5 per item in 2025, reaching at least €10 per item of clothing by 2030 or up to 50% of the product’s price excluding tax.
To determine the sustainability rating of fast fashion firms they will be rated according to a score based on 16 environmental indicators. These indicators include biodiversity impact, carbon emissions, recyclability and water consumption.
Meanwhile, the advertising ban for fast fashion companies risks a €100,000 (U$115,120) fine for promoting their products, even if the payment is only received in the form of gifts or trips.
However, some environmental groups have expressed dissatisfaction at the bill’s differentiation between ‘classic’ and ‘hyper’ fast fashion companies. While the rules will have some impact on European fast fashioned firms like H&M, Mango, Primark and Zara, their impact has been watered down in the eyes of some.
The revised draft text of the bill which passed the Senate notes ultra-fast fashion production from companies like Shein and Temu differs from traditional fast fashion as a result of its overproduction and overconsumption model, branding this as “incompatible with environmental sustainability goals”.
Shein has a particularly checkered record on both its sustainability and ESG performance.
In September, Minerva Analytics reported that the Italian Competition Authority had opened an investigation into the company over alleged misleading claims about its sustainability practices on its website.
In January, Shein also faced backlash from UK Members of Parliament who criticised the online fashion retailer for its lack of transparency regarding the origin of its cotton and raised concerns about potential links to forced labour practices.
Shein was also found to be one of the worst performing fashion companies on efforts to phase out fossil fuels by NGO Stand.earth’s Fossil-Free Fashion Scorecard 2025 released last month.
Evaluating 42 global fashion companies, Shein was one of seven firms to receive an F rating. It was ranked as an F in four of five key impact areas: Climate and Energy Commitments and Transparency, Renewable and Energy Efficient Manufacturing, Climate and Renewable Energy Advocacy, and Greener Shipping.
The only metric the online fast fashion giant was rated above an F was Low-Carbon Materials and Circularity, where it scored a D-.
Zara’s performance was also somewhat lacklustre receiving an overall rating of C, while H&M was the best performing company in the report scoring a B+.
Shein intends to become a publicly listed company in 2025. While this would likely allow the firm to grow more quickly and receive greater investment, it could also introduce shareholder scrutiny over its poor ESG performance and prompt change.
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Last Updated: 20 June 2025