Environmental advocates are calling on Australia to introduce a tax, following news that France will implement a levy on and Temu by 2030. ICYMI, French lawmakers unanimously that seeks to penalise products sold by ultra-fast fashion brands like Shein and Temu, to offset their environmental impact. The bill means individual items that fit the definition of fast fashion will, over the next six years, incur a tax of up to €10, or around $16 AUD.
Also included in the bill was a ban on advertising around ultra-fast fashion brands and items, which would certainly clear up those bizarre Wish ads on my Facebook feed. While the bill still has to reach the senate before it becomes law, France’s game-changing anti-fast fashion efforts have shone a harsh spotlight on Australia, especially given the statistics around our own online shopping baskets. Late last month, revealed that Australians buy more clothes per person than any other country, surpassing the US as the world’s biggest consumer of textiles per capita.
According to the paper, Australians purchase an average of 56 new garments annually — 200,000 tonnes of which ends up in landfill — ahead of the US and the UK, who buy 53 and 33 new items per year, respectively. What’s more, Australians were found to be paying far less for their garments, forking out an average of just $16 per item compared to the US ($24) and the UK ($40). Co-author of the Australia Institute study, , is leading calls to reverse these findings, sa.