A European textile association pressed for a €10 ($11.60) import levy on fast fashion items this week, marking the newest push to curb a wave of ultra-cheap rivalry stemming chiefly from China.
The appeal from EURATEX arrived after the European Union imposed a €3 duty in July on cheap parcels entering the bloc, pointing to the financial strain placed on customs authorities.
Separately, France began levying a charge this week against ultrafast-fashion items that will eventually climb to nearly €20 per garment.
Both moves are expected to mainly affect two Chinese fast fashion brands Shein and Temu, which have been increasing their market share in the EU since the last few years.
EURATEX President Mario Jorge Machado welcomed the EU fee at an industry gathering in Paris but noted, “we cannot stop there.”
The association stated in a communiqué that a €10 “handling fee” should furnish customs authorities with “resources to identify unsafe and non-compliant goods.”
It further cautioned against permitting loopholes within the tax, including bulk imports or European warehouses, arguing such measures were necessary to guarantee “a level playing field” for the European sector.
The French charges — forming part of a fast-fashion law passed in June aimed at tackling environmental concerns tied to overproduction — span from €0.25 (30 US cents) for a pair of boxer shorts or socks to €12 ($14) for a coat, with the sum capped at 50% of the product’s pre-tax sales price.
“These platforms are false champions of consumer purchasing power. They sell at low prices, yet their products often fail to meet standards and lack durability,” French Commerce Minister Serge Papin told local newspaper Ouest France.
France stands as the first EU country to penalise retailers based on the number of items they offer via their website.
China’s commerce ministry has branded the French law discriminatory and a trade barrier, stating it could be breaching WTO principles.
Shein’s product range included more than two million items as of March 31 this year, with 4,700 fresh apparel styles launched daily.
Shein’s European customer base climbed to 156 million average monthly users by the close of 2025, positioning it as one of the continent’s largest e-commerce platforms.
It sits alongside AliExpress and US e-commerce giant Amazon, which counted 193 million and roughly 180 million users, respectively.
According to EURATEX, the European textile and fashion industry encompasses roughly 200,000 firms employing 1.3 million people.
Image courtesy: Fabrikasimf By Freepik
