Recycling. Clothing collection: Textile sellers called upon to "assume their responsibilities"

Mayors and elected officials from metropolitan areas, regions, and inter-municipalities are calling on companies that sell clothing on Wednesday to fund the recycling and collection of clothing to meet the needs of the recycling sector, which is currently in crisis.

Since last summer, France, a leading European and global player in textile waste recovery, has seen its sector threatened by competition from ultra-fast fashion clothing from Asia, with the first visible consequence being the closure of many clothing and shoe collection points.

In their press release, also signed by the National Recycling Circle, the community associations "support Le Relais in its demands to the eco-organization Refashion" and call on clothing sellers to "assume their responsibilities."

Last week, the network of used textile sorting companies Le Relais dumped tons of clothing in front of several major retailers (Decathlon, Okaïdi, Kiabi, etc.) and stopped collecting at its terminals to call for more support for the sector.

According to the "polluter pays" principle, which makes manufacturers and distributors responsible for the end of life of their products, a contribution is levied on each item sold to finance collection and recovery.

Refashion, the organization that collects these contributions, then pays the players in the clothing sorting sector a contribution that has so far amounted to 156 euros per ton.

Following the action taken by Le Relais, the Ministry of Ecological Transition announced €49 million in support, paid by the eco-organization Refashion in 2025 to textile sorters, bringing the contribution to €223 per ton. Le Relais requested an increase to €304 per ton of sorted clothing.

Local elected officials "take note" of the announcements made by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, but are calling for "significant financial measures" which "must be released by Refashion to ensure the sustainable operation of the sector."

Each year, around 270,000 tonnes of textile waste are collected in France and "60% of sorted products" are resold as second-hand clothes, 90% of which are sold abroad, according to Refashion's 2023 report.