"Fast fashion" – new outfit "for one time"

Four European Union countries are highlighting the boom in the landfill clothing industry and calling for a fight against fast fashion.

We are talking about an outfit “for one time” – to go on a visit, or even just to make a story on Instagram. France, Austria, the Netherlands and Finland call for an end to practices that delay environmental goals EU. It only gives an advantage to Chinese platforms that have flooded the clothing market.

Countries called on their EU partners to support tough measures to combat the excesses of “fast” fashion, where cheap clothes are bought for just one occasion. Perhaps, for example, introducing special fees for companies whose marketing strategies promote the spread of fast fashion.

These countries presented their arguments in a document tells Euronews, which was distributed to national delegates ahead of the meeting of natural resources and environment ministers of the 27-nation bloc on June 17. Participants at the event will have their say on proposals to limit textile and food waste by amending the EU Framework Directive. The statement says:

“While the amount of textiles consumed per capita in Europe has increased significantly in recent years, the average lifespan of clothing has decreased. Some studies suggest that many consumers wear cheap items no more than 7-8 times and then throw them away.”

Paris, Vienna, The Hague and Helsinki estimate that between 2000 and 2015, the amount of clothing sold doubled to 100 billion a year, highlighting the enormous waste of resources, particularly water.

This industry is responsible for a fifth of global water pollution and 10% of greenhouse gas emissions, which, if current trends continue, will increase by more than 25% by 2050. The four countries are calling on Europe to “take advantage” of ongoing reform of EU waste control legislation and last month's Ecodesign Regulation to “introduce specific measures into EU law to combat the commercial practices of ultra-fast fashion.”

They note in an accompanying note that, according to recent research, only about a third of clothes are disposed of due to wear and tear. Thérèse Moersen, an environmental campaigner and policy officer at Brussels-based NGO Zero Waste Europe, called the four-nation joint statement and the upcoming EU Council vote a “turning point” in the fight against resource depletion. She believes the public's and lawmakers' attention needs to “shift from just managing waste to holding producers accountable.”

French deputies expect to limit the excesses of “fast” fashion. The new legislative arsenal is aimed in particular at the commercial practices of Shein and Temu, Chinese companies experiencing explosive growth. Under the bill, approved with unusual unanimity by the lower house of parliament in March, every item of clothing sold that meets the definition of fast fashion would be subject to a tax based on its environmental footprint of up to 5 euros per item. By 2030 the fee will increase to 10 euros. The bill also prohibits direct and hidden advertising of such products, incl. using influencers in their promotion.

Although even if the European Council develops a joint position this month, final negotiations on EU legislation are unlikely to begin before the fall.

Source link