A bonus will be introduced in France from October to encourage people to have their clothes and shoes repaired instead of throwing them away, the government said. This aims to reduce the 700,000 tons of clothing that the French throw away every year, two-thirds of which end up in landfills.
“From October, consumers will be helped to repair their clothes and shoes,” said Secretary of State for Ecology Berangere Couillard on Tuesday during a visit to the Parisian premises of La Caserne, a center for responsible fashion. She urged “everyone sewing workshops and shoemakers to join the system” in order to be awarded by the ecological organization Refashion.
Under this scheme, customers can request €7 to repair a heel and €10 to €25 to repair clothing from a €154 million fund set up for the period 2023-2028.
In France, 3.3 billion pieces of clothing, shoes and household linen were sold in 2022, according to Refashion, a government-mandated association to promote a more sustainable industry.
“The goal is to support those who do repairs,” Couillard said, referring to the sewing workshops but also to the brands that offer repair services.
Modeled on the home appliance repair bonus, the subsidy is part of a broader reform of the textile sector, one of the most polluting industries in the world, that the French government has been tackling since late 2022.
Its goals include committing brands to better traceability and funding organizations that specialize in clothing reuse and recycling.(AFP)
This translated post originally appeared on FashionUnited.com.