By
Bloomberg
Published
June 4, 2025
French senators are seeking to sharpen planned legislation aimed at regulating fast fashion to target sellers of ultra-cheap clothing such as Chinese-founded Shein Group Ltd. and Temu.
The right-leaning Senate is redrafting the bill, which passed unanimously in the lower house of parliament last year, to narrow its scope to mainly Chinese online retailers.
Senators are expected to vote on the bill next week, but the National Assembly will have the final say. The minister for ecological transition, Agnes Pannier-Runacher, has said the government backs the legislation, though the details are still under discussion.
The amended bill aims to limit environmental harm by clamping down on ultra-cheap clothing from brands like Shein and Temu. Critics of fast-fashion imports say the high-turnover clothing also leads to unfair competition for local brands as well as unsustainable consumption.
“This text will put the brakes on these Chinese giants who are invading us without any controls, without any standards, without paying any taxes in France,” said Senator Sylvie Valente Le Hir.
The revised legislation, however, waters down some provisions on banning advertising and financial penalties based on the environmental score for clothing, spurring criticism from nongovernmental organizations.
The bill could further complicate Shein’s plans to list the company, which was founded in China and is now headquartered in Singapore.
Quentin Ruffat, a spokesman for Shein in France, decried the measures under consideration on RTL radio Monday, saying “we are the only ones targeted.”
Separately, France is pushing to slap fees on small packages from discount retailers as soon as in 2026, as Paris fears that US tariffs will accelerate the flood of cheap goods entering Europe, mainly from China. There are currently no levies on parcels under €150 in Europe.