France – one of the main fashion hubs in the world – is set to introduce a subsidy for clothing and shoe repairs. The aim is to reduce waste and pollution caused by the textile industry.
According to the rules announced by the Secretary of State for Ecology, Bérangère Couillard, recently, discounts ranging from €6 (US$7) to €25 (US$28) will be available, depending on the complexity of the repair.
“This could encourage people who bought, for example, shoes from a good quality brand to want to repair them instead of getting rid of them,” Couillard said at a press conference. “And that’s exactly the goal, to create a circular economy for footwear and textiles so that products last longer, because the government believes in the second life of a product.”
Couillard stated that the textile industry is on track to become responsible for a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, making it the second most polluting industry in the world.
The Ministry of Ecology has instructed a private French organization called Refashion to initiate the subsidy.
Tailors, clothing brands, and clothing repair workshops can join the initiative for free through Refashion, which will collect a small “eco-contribution” on clothing and shoe sales to cover the subsidy, which is scheduled to start in October.
Refashion states that 3.3 billion pieces of clothing, shoes, and bedding were put on the market in France in 2022, and according to the ministry, 700,000 tons of clothing are thrown away by the French each year, two-thirds of which end up in landfills.
Source: CNN