Residents of France who prefer to repair their worn clothes and shoes will receive a financial grant from the local government.
Bérangère Couillard, France's Minister for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion of France, announced that as part of the new program, French residents will receive subsidized discounts on clothing and shoe repairs, to combat the "fast fashion" phenomenon that results in throwing clothes in the trash and buying new clothes instead.
Those who request to exchange a heel for a shoe will receive a subsidy of 7 euros from the government, and those who will exchange fabric for a coat, skirt or other garment will receive a subsidy of 10 to 25 euros. A euro is approximately 1.10 USD.
Couillard said that the French government budgeted for the new project an amount of 154 million euros every year. The decision to encourage the residents of France to repair their clothes and shoes instead of throwing them in the trash was made after French authorities found that 700,000 garments are sent to garbage collection centers in France every year, which the residents preferred to get rid of in order to purchase new ones instead.
The Minister encouraged seamstresses and cobblers to join the project and receive the funding for the repairs they will make directly from the French government. "From October, consumers will be able to receive financial support for repairing their clothes and shoes. The goal is also to support those who carry out the repairs. I invite all seamstresses and cobblers to join the new system," Couillard said.
The textile industry is considered one of the largest in France with a turnover estimated at 66 billion euros annually, but also one of the largest polluting industries in France. The French government hopes that the new plan will encourage residents to repair their clothes and shoes instead of buying new ones.