Why France will soon pay its citizens to get their clothes repaired

Do you often throw away your worn-out shoes, torn shirts or ripped pants? Well, if you live in France, the government will soon pay you to get your clothes repaired. But what is happening? How much is the government paying? And why is it doing so? Let’s take a closer look: What is happening? French citizens will soon receive a subsidy per item of clothing they get repaired. According to Le Monde, citizens will be paid around Rs 650 for getting a pair of heels fixed and between Rs 900 and Rs 2,300 for getting an item of clothing repaired. Business Insider reported that a $171 million fund has been established from which the payments will be made for the next five years. According to The Telegraph, the government will offer subsidies for citizens to avail from tailors and shoe repair shops that sign up for the government programme headed up by eco-organisation Refashion. “From October, consumers will be able to be supported in the repair of their clothes and shoes,” secretary of state for ecology Berangere Couillard said Tuesday during a visit to the Paris premises of La Caserne, a hub for responsible fashion. Why is the government doing so? Fashion is big business in France. In France, 3.3 billion pieces of clothing, shoes and household linen were put on the market in 2022, according to Refashion. As per the BBC, customers in France in 2020 on average spent Rs 46,000 on clothes. The French throw away around 700,000 tonnes of clothes every year. Of these, two-thirds end up in landfills.

The first goal is to reduce the number of clothing discarded.

“It could encourage exactly the people who have bought, for example, shoes from a brand that makes good-quality shoes or likewise good-quality ready-to-wear to want to have them fixed instead of getting rid of them,” Couillard was quoted as saying by CNN. “And that is exactly the objective, to create a circular economy for shoes and textiles so that products last longer, because in government we believe in the second life of a product.” The second is to help those doing the mending and create jobs. “The goal is to support those who do the repairs,” Couillard said, referring to sewing workshops but also those brands which offer repair services. BBC quoted Couillard as asking “all sewing workshops and shoemakers to join the system.” Couillard was also quoted by BBC as saying that tackling ‘fast fashion’ and motivating customers to buy ‘virtuous products’ was another goal of the government. According to Insider, France places 12 of 180 on Yale University’s annual Environmental Performance Index. The index ranks nation on parameters such as climate change performance, environmental health, and ecosystem vitality. The aid is part of a vast reform of the textile sector, one of the most polluting industries on the planet, initiated by the French government since the end of 2022. Its objectives include forcing brands to have more traceability and to financially support organisations specialising in reusing and recycling clothing. “What I hope is that the French will become aware of what we can see, that is the impact of the textile industry across the world today,” Couillard was quoted as saying by CNN. “So they can themselves realize the aberration of the way in which we now consume.” France in April announced discounts for citizens who repair their home appliances rather than throwing them away. Citizens who get appliances repaired from a business are eligible to receive around Rs 2,700 for smaller items like vacuum cleaners and around Rs 8,000 for computers. Doubters abound But some are doubtful that the scheme will improve things for tailors. As Jeremie Liotet, a tailor at Retouches Paris in the French capital’s 2nd arrondissement, told The Telegraph, “It might help, but I’m not sure it will really change the lives of tailors.” “We really need to rethink the entire clothing industry. The current industry is based on free market capitalism, putting out a million pieces of clothing for sale in the world…I think it’s just a government announcement more than a deep desire to change things.” Others are unhappy. Pascal Morand of the Haute Couture and Fashion Federation, told Le Monde he was concerned about the impact on luxury goods. “A silk organza shouldn’t be judged as less durable than a polyester one based purely on its physical resistance,” Morand said. BBC quoted right-wing MP Eric Pauget as saying the government ought to “stop throwing the French public’s money out of the window”. With inputs from agencies