France Bans Influencers from Promoting Ultra Fast Fashion

Yes, yes, yes. It finally happened.

The eco-tax bill in France passed a law that bans influencers from promoting ultra-fast fashion brands. It happened in France, and other countries must do it too. This is a huge step taken by France, which has enacted a law banning influencers from promoting unsustainable, mass-producing brands. That means brands like Shein and Temu hauls don’t get a pass anymore. The move plans to curb overconsumption and control the environmental damage caused by these brands. Influencers who violate the ban can face heavy fines of up to €100,000. The law also introduces advertising restrictions for such brands.

But hold on. Yes, it’s a big win, but the law only targets ultra-fast fashion, not fast fashion as a whole. In other words, brands like Shein and Temu are in the spotlight, but others continue to operate as usual, just with some added rules.

There’s also a new requirement where all clothing sold in France must now display information about its carbon footprint, resource use, and recyclability. 

The law bans advertising for brands that mass produce ultra-cheap clothing, those with thousands of rapidly changing styles at the lowest prices. Think algorithm-led, overnight fashion. On top of that, an eco-tax will be introduced for ultra-fast-made clothing.

The bigger idea here is to let France’s sustainable fashion industry grow and breathe, to help it evolve into something that’s genuinely eco-friendly and built to last. 

And what did Shein have to say in response?

A laughable statement saying that they are not the problem, but the solution.

If we may ask, solution to what exactly???

To forced labour?
To exploitative wages and excessive working hours?
To cheap, throwaway clothes?
To the illegal sweatshops?

If they really wanted to be responsible, they’d change the way they manufacture. But yeah, no surprise here, because what else can you expect from an unsustainable, profit-driven mass machine?

Coming back to the influencer ban:

- Ads or sponsored posts for ultra-fast fashion brands are banned
- Fines up to €100,000 apply for any violations
- Influencer hauls and affiliate links to such brands are not allowed

Did you know? Shein accounted for more than 40% of products under the TikTok haul content, ahead of H&M and Temu.

But what did the BAN miss?

While this is definitely a win, it’s targeted at ultra-fast fashion brands, not the entire fast fashion industry. So brands like Shein and Temu are directly affected, but Zara and H&M? Not really. The brands do not have any penalties on them nor on influencers for promoting them, although they are now required to display clear data on traceability.

While this is not something that will completely erase fast fashion, it may at least be one step forward among many more steps towards conscious consumption. And what about other countries, from Australia to China to India? Sadly, there are no rules yet. Maybe there is some pressure from sustainable brands, but it is not enough to reduce it. Time will tell, as will our habits.