French textile industry association UIT has made six proposals to the country’s EU elections candidates, a week after the French Parliament approved a first set of measures to control fast fashion. The measures were welcomed by UIT, but also regarded as not entirely watertight.

In a press release, UIT said that the measures only partially address the sustainability challenges faced by French textiles industry players. UIT hailed a renewed awareness of the risks associated with fast fashion, but also called for more vigilance on the subject.

The association notably criticised the approach to eco-modulation, whose application it regards as lacking control and means of enforcement. The bill approved by the French Parliament doesn’t set out a framework for allocating additional human resources for supervising the new rules’ application.

UIT President Olivier Ducatillion is concerned that “the law will not impact its original target owing to the very vague definition of ultra-fast fashion it adopts.” He added: “I’m also concerned about [the law’s] impact on French fashion retailers that are by and large committed to a more sustainable strategy.”

UIT has drawn up a list of six proposals for France’s EU elections candidates. The first calls for the introduction of a “clear” EU energy policy that would make European manufacturers more competitive, with reciprocal clauses imposing the same constraints on non-European suppliers, as REACH regulations do.

UIT is asking for social and ethical criteria to be taken into account in determining the environmental score of fashion products, whose rules will soon be unveiled. 

The association is also calling for more resources to monitor goods coming from outside France. And for the rule that makes shipments worth less than €150 exempt from customs duties, a loophole tapped by ultra-fast fashion Chinese companies, to be abolished. Finally, UIT has asked for sanctions against e-tailers deploying illegal practices that distort competition.