No, France did NOT ban SHEIN hauls!
Sometimes good news is misinformation, too.
No, France did NOT ban SHEIN hauls...and that’s just the beginning of the misinformation about this topic that I have seen circulating social media this week. Hundreds of people have sent me a pair of posts from the same account that make a lot of untrue claims about this law (which btw, isn’t even officially a law yet).
I have been irate over this whole thing because
1. I am an innate people pleaser and I hate having to tell people who are very excited, “Actually this is not true...”
2. It shows how easily incorrect information can go viral (because everyone just assumes ‘if it’s on social media, it’s true’).
3. This actually creates unrealistic expectations around how legislation works and what is even possible to enforce...which affects our ability to get public support for things like the Fashion Act.
And seriously, how would a government enforce a ban on SHEIN hauls? Sure they could ban orders over a certain size (maybe) but what if the items in an order are for multiple people? Or someone is replacing clothing lost in a fire? These are just two examples of how impossible that kind of legislation could be.
Yes, there IS some important legislation in the works in France right now. Let’s talk about it…
Nothing has been passed into law (yet).
Yes, France IS working on a bill that could be some major progress in mitigating the damage of fast fashion...but, it’s been a slow process.
The original bill passed the lower house of the French Assembly a year ago...and in June it finally passed the Senate--with a lot of changes.
Next the bill has to be approved by the EU...then it will return to the Assembly and Senate for resolution in late fall. So actually passing this into law is still a while away...and it will likely change form along the way.
What’s actually in the bill?
While SHEIN hauls are NOT banned by this bill, the revised version does explicitly target ultra fast fashion brands like SHEIN and Temu.
Ultra fast fashion orders shipped from outside the EU would be taxed from 2-4 euros per package.
The law would impose penalties on ultra fast fashion companies if they don’t meet environmental standards, a minimum of 10 euros per item or up to 50% of the product’s price by 2030.
The bill would also eliminate tax write-offs for “donating” unsold and returned inventory. This is a big deal because fast fashion brands have been exploiting this policy since a 2020 anti-waste law banned destroying unsold items.
Ultra fast fashion brands would be banned from advertising online, on social media, and via influencers. However, it is unclear how this would impact content created by influencers outside France (which would still be available to French users).
There are some concerns about this version of the bill...
In the year since the bill was passed from the Assembly to the Senate, it has shifted from focusing on fast fashion as a whole to differentiating between “classic” fast fashion (like Zara and Primark) and “ultra” fast fashion.
The focus of the bill has shifted entirely to ultra fast fashion, omitting “classic” fast fashion brands...who are also a major part of the problem. Some say this decision was made to protect the European fast fashion brands.
Furthermore, SHEIN has its European headquarters in Ireland...which could function as a legal loophole, meaning it would be exempt from the bill’s policies.
Still, this is progress!
Ultimately, legislation of the fashion industry has to begin somewhere. If we do nothing, it only gets worse.
While this bill would not “end” SHEIN or Temu, it sets the standard globally (even if it’s just a symbolic gesture). This could motivate other countries to pass similar legislation, including the Fashion Act in NY and CA!
I think of this as the “first draft” of much more legislation of fast fashion that will be developed if this bill passes into law. If we keep pushing for it, progress will happen!
Always fact check “news” you see on social media!
Here are some of the sources I used to put together this post:
“French Senate backs law to curb ultra fast-fashion,” Reuters.
“France Moves to Curb ‘Ultra-fast’ Fashion With Bill Targeting Shein and Temu,” Rhonda Richford, WWD.
“France Says No To Ultra Fast Fashion. Will The World Follow?,” Zoe Bayliss Wong, Forbes.
I found this information by searching “France fast fashion law.”
This one grabbed me too. Its getting harder not to get scammed, but then again, so much of this system is a scam.
Thank you for debunking this!