French government plan to pay for repair of clothing to rein in textile waste

The motive of the campaign is to stop people from throwing away 700,000 tonnes of clothes every year, two-thirds of which end up in landfills.

French citizens might soon get monetary incentives for having their clothes and shoes repaired. The aim is to stop people from throwing 700,000 tonnes of clothes every year, two-thirds of which end up in landfills.

Secretary of State for Ecology Berangere Couillard has announced that from October, consumers will be able to get support in the repair of their clothes and shoes.

In this regard, all sewing workshops and shoemakers will join the system.

Consumers desiring to repair their clothing items would be paid from a 154 million euro fund set up to cover the period ranging from 2023-2028. Customers will be able to claim seven euros (.



7) for getting a heel mended and 10-25 euros for getting their clothing items repaired. Couillard said the goal is to support those who do the repairs.

Eco-organisation Refashion, which has been instructed by the French government to set up the refund scheme, revealed that about 3.3 billion pieces of clothing, shoes, and household linen were put on the market in 2022.

Ensuring sustainability in the textile sector is important as it is one of the biggest culprits of greenhouse gas emissions globally. The fashion industry is responsible for approximately 10 percent of the total global carbon emissions generated each year.



The situation is predicted to worsen, with fashion’s emissions of harmful greenhouse gases expected to increase by over 50 percent by the year 2030.