French Senate backs law to curb ultra fast-fashion

PARIS (Reuters) - France's Senate approved a revised version of a law regulating fast fashion on Tuesday, which if implemented would ban advertising by fast-growing Chinese e-commerce platforms like Shein and Temu.

Senators in the upper house of parliament voted almost unanimously for a modified version of a bill passed by France's lower house last year, which aims to reduce the environmental impact of the textile industry.

Critics say the low-priced garments produced by fast-fashion chains drive excessive consumption and waste, exacerbating the textile sector's impact on the environment.

An amended version of the bill distinguishes between "ultra" fast fashion and "classic" fast fashion, however, imposing less onerous restrictions on European fast-fashion players like Zara and Kiabi, but drawing criticism from environmental groups.

The "clarifications (made by the Senate) make it possible to target players who ignore environmental, social, and economic realities, notably Shein and Temu, without penalising the European ready-to-wear sector," said Jean-Francois Longeot, chair of the Senate's Committee on Regional Planning and Sustainable Development.

"Shein is not a fast fashion company," said the Chinese firm in a statement in response to the vote, adding that its model was "part of the solution, not the problem".

Faced with competition from very low-priced products, several French brands are experiencing significant difficulties, such as Jennyfer, which went into liquidation at the end of April, and NafNaf, which has been in receivership since May.

The law would also introduce penalties for both fast and ultra fast-fashion companies if they don't meet certain environmental criteria, reaching at least 10 euros per item of clothing by 2030, or up to 50% of the product's price excluding tax.

The government needs to notify the European Commission of the vote, and will then need to set up a joint committee to reach a compromise between the Senate and lower house versions of the law before it is implemented.

(Reporting by Florence Loeve. Editing by Dominique Patton and Mark Potter)