France Curbs Fast-Fashion Retailers with New Law Targeting Shein, Temu
France Passes Bill to Regulate Ultra-Fast-Fashion Retailers
Legislative Background and Process
PARIS, June 29 (Reuters) - France's Senate passed a revised version of a bill on Monday aimed at curbing online fast-fashion retailers such as Shein, Temu, which is owned by PDD Holdings, and AliExpress, after more than two years of debate and discussion between the upper and lower houses of parliament as lawmakers sought to create a text that complies with European Union law.
Key Provisions of the New Law
Financial Penalties for Ultra-Fast-Fashion Companies
• Under the law, ultra-fast-fashion companies face fines between €0.25 and €6 per product this year, rising as high as €10 per product in 2030.
Advertising and Promotion Restrictions
• The law also bans advertising by ultra-fast-fashion companies, and bans online influencers from promoting them.
Societal Impact and Government Perspective
• "What is at stake today is not just clothes, but the societal model we want to defend," said Serge Papin, minister for small enterprises, in a speech ahead of the vote. "The industry targeted by this bill is one that floods our markets with disposable fashion, with clothes worn only a few weeks before being thrown away".
Implementation and Next Steps
• The law must still be promulgated by the president in order to be enforced.
Industry and Regulatory Reactions
Response from Targeted Companies
• Shein said some measures of the bill "appear to retain inconsistencies with the applicable European framework governing digital services and e-commerce".
European Commission and Other Stakeholders
• The European Commission did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Scope and Exclusions of the Bill
Focus on Online-Only Platforms
• France's first version of the anti-fast-fashion bill was passed in March 2024 by the lower house while the next version, passed in June 2025 by the Senate, was more targeted with measures aimed at ultra-fast-fashion retailers targeting online-only platforms and excluding European fast-fashion players such as Zara and H&M.
Other Companies' Responses
• Spokespeople for Temu and for AliExpress did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
(Reporting by Inti Landauro and Helen Reid; Editing by Edmund Klamann)
