Get paid for getting clothes repaired: French govt’s new plan to rein in textile waste

The French government has come up with a pathbreaking idea to encourage people to repair and reuse clothing items instead of throwing them. AFP reported Wednesday that people in France might soon get monetary incentives for having their clothes and shoes repaired.

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

"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. She also invited “all sewing workshops and shoemakers to join the system."

Consumers seeking repair of 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 ($7.7) for getting a heel mended and 10-25 euros for getting their clothing items repaired.

Couillard added that "the goal is to support those who do the repairs," referring to those who do sewing and brands that offer repair services.

Eco-organisation Refashion, which has been instructed by the French government to set up the refund scheme, noted 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 French government initiated a plan in late 2022 to transform its textile sector to make it as eco-friendly as possible.

It might come as a surprise, but the fashion industry is responsible for approximately 10 per cent of the total global carbon emissions generated each year. This percentage is even higher than the combined emissions from maritime shipping and international flights. Unfortunately, the situation is predicted to worsen, with fashion's emissions of harmful greenhouse gases expected to increase by over 50 per cent by the year 2030.

In addition to its carbon footprint, the fashion sector, which includes cotton farming, consumes an enormous amount of water. Approximately 93 billion cubic metres of water is used by the industry annually, accounting for four per cent of the world's total freshwater consumption. To put this into perspective, the production of a single pair of jeans alone requires a staggering 3,781 litres of water.