France's upper house debates fast-fashion bill

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00:01Clothing at unbeatable prices.

00:03A giant, ephemeral and low-cost market with brands known to most, but not loved by all.

00:09I try not to buy too much fast fashion, though I still do.

00:15It seems a bit absurd to me that we continue to buy it, when we know what kind of conditions

00:19the clothes are made in.

00:21Even if the prices are lower, it's not great for the environment.

00:25More than 48 items of clothing per capita are put on the market each year in France, with

00:3035 thrown away every second in the country.

00:33Between 2010 and 2023, the items of clothing sold in France rose from nearly 2 billion

00:38to 3 billion, a trend that shows little sign of slowing down.

00:42France has introduced a bill to reduce the environmental impact of clothing, targeting

00:46the textile sector which is the most polluting in the world, especially in terms of carbon

00:50emissions.

00:52Adopted by the National Assembly in March last year, it's now up for debate in the

00:56Senate.

00:57But the bill has since been amended by the government to remove a key measure targeting

01:00the environmental cost of excessive production, a penalty that could reach up to 10 euros for

01:05each item sold.

01:07The government says it's prioritized criteria related to sustainability and business practices,

01:12but environmental activists say external influence is to blame.

01:15There are clearly lobbies behind it, and if the amendment were to be adopted, it would

01:21send a very bad signal about the desire to curb this phenomenon.

01:27According to the bill's proponents, the new wording primarily targets Asian fast fashion

01:31companies, while softening the stance on European or French ones.

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