Paris is paying more to keep the collection system alive—buying time for a tougher, more traceable EPR model that can cope with ultra-fast fashion and collapsing export prices.
France will raise its grant for collecting and sorting used textiles to €268 per tonne in 2026, up from €228 previously planned—an exceptional €40/tonne top-up aimed at preventing “chain bankruptcies” among collectors and sorters operating under the REP TLC scheme.
Keeping the bins from overflowing
The economics have turned ugly. In 2024, France placed 891,309 tonnes of new textile products on the market, while collecting 289,393 tonnes of waste textiles. The system still relies heavily on exports—over 60%, largely to African markets—which are now saturated amid a flood of very low-priced garments (new and second-hand) from China, depressing resale values and leaving sorters with mounting inventories.
Who pays—and who should pay more
Traditional collectors (including charity networks) are also being squeezed by peer-to-peer resale platforms and brand-run second-hand channels, which divert higher-quality items away from the collection stream, undermining yield and revenues.
Reform is the real story
The government says the subsidy is a stopgap while it prepares a structural overhaul of the EPR model—focused on stronger economic logic, better traceability, and building domestic recycling capacity. In parallel, it has pressed Refashion to propose “eco-modulated” penalties targeting ultra-fast fashion.
