Instead of discarding your ripped jeans or shirt missing a button, you now have a reason to hold on to them in France. The French government will soon launch a rebate program in October, incentivizing people to mend their own clothes and shoes rather than buying new ones, according to the BBC. Managed by eco-group Refashion, consumers will be eligible to receive up to around $28 per repair, covering various fixes like broken heels and torn jacket linings.
“The goal is to support those who carry out repairs,” explains Berangere Couillard, France’s secretary of state for ecology. The funding for these repairs will come from a $172 million fund allocated for the next five years, as reported by The Guardian. Couillard encourages sewing workshops and shoemakers to join the program, as rebates will only apply to repairs done at participating vendors. This initiative is part of a broader effort in France to combat the waste produced by fast fashion and promote sustainable clothing choices.
Couillard places specific blame on fast-fashion companies like Shein, a Chinese giant, calling them “destructive for our planet, for the human conditions of the countries that host their production, and also destructive for the textile sector, which may not recover,” as stated in the Telegraph. France discards over 770,000 tons of clothing each year, with two-thirds of that ending up in landfills. Starting in January, clothing manufacturers in France will be required to adhere to new labeling guidelines that disclose the environmental impact of their production, including water and chemical usage.
Not everyone is enthusiastic about the repair rebates. Business groups argue that the program’s messaging could stigmatize the French fashion industry, according to the BBC. Furthermore, Paris tailor Jeremie Liotet doubts people will choose to repair their items when they can easily purchase new and cheap ones. “I’m not sure [the program] will really change the lives of tailors,” he comments. A similar program was implemented last winter, offering up to $50 for consumers to repair household appliances and electronics. (Read more France stories.)
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