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POLICY – A new bonus will be implemented in France. Dedicated to ” repair “ textile goods, it must be put in place ” starting at October “ to encourage customers to have their clothes or shoes repaired rather than buying new ones, said Tuesday, July 11 the Secretary of State for Ecology Bérangère Couillard.
“From October, consumers will be able to be accompanied in the repair of their clothes and shoes”explained Bérangère Couillard during a visit to Paris of the premises of an incubator dedicated to responsible fashion, La Caserne.
This ” repair bonus ” of the textile sector will be endowed with a fund of 154 million euros over the period 2023-2028, had previously explained to AFP the cabinet of the Secretary of State.
The pricing of the aid offered must be between 6 and 25 euros, Bérangère Couillard said on Tuesday. The Secretary of State “invites all sewing workshops and shoemakers to join the system, to be labeled” by the Refashion eco-organization which manages the fund and the label for the State. The aid could be, for example, 7 euros to redo a heel and reach 10 to 25 euros for a lining. These will be discounts applied directly to the repair invoice.
700,000 tonnes of clothing thrown away each year by the French
“The goal is to support all those who do the repairs”detailed Bérangère Couillard, evoking the workshops but “also the signs” who offer this service with the hope of “recreate jobs”.
In France, 3.3 billion pieces of clothing, shoes and items of household linen were put on the market in 2022, i.e. 500,000 more than in 2021, according to the Refashion organization which has been charged by the government with supporting industry towards a more circular economy. The French “throw away 700,000 tons of clothes every year”recalled Bérangère Couillard, specifying that two-thirds “end up in landfills”.
Based on the model of the household appliance repair bonus, the aid is part of a vast reform of the textile sector, one of the most polluting industries on the planet, undertaken by the government since the end of 2022. Among its objectives : force brands to have more traceability, financially support organizations specializing in the reuse and second life of clothing or structure a recycling sector.
The reform provided for by the anti-waste law for a circular economy (Agec Law) is based in particular on the billion euros of eco-contributions from producers, importers and distributors which should be released over the period 2023-2028 under the “polluter pays” principle.
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