From social media to legislation: tackling fast fashion’s impact on the environment

Antoine Vermorel Marques, French deputy, has presented a bill to the National Assembly to establish a real bonus-malus, which penalizes fast fashion brands and encourages more virtuous approaches

Antoine Vermorel Marques, a French deputy of the Republican party and a member of the National Assembly, has taken a modern approach to address the environmental issues associated with fast fashion. Through a social media video that employs the popular format of a “haul”, he showcases the unpacking of fast fashion items, thereby critiquing this environmentally detrimental trend.

At just over 30 years old, Marques combines his legislative efforts with contemporary communication methods to engage with a younger audience on serious topics.

The eye-opening unboxing

The video kicks off with Marques expressing how he was inspired by numerous haul videos to make a purchase himself, leading to the unboxing of a pair of shoes treated with phthalates, chemicals known for their endocrine-disrupting properties that could contribute to sterility.

This opening serves as a stark introduction to his broader message against the throwaway nature of fast fashion, as he announces having submitted a bill aimed at imposing a penalty on all fast fashion products for being “definitively out of style.”

Legislation in the spotlight

Following Marques’ impactful video, the Minister for Ecological Transition, Bechù, announced the government’s support for a bill presented by Anne Cecile Violland (Horizons and related parties). This proposed legislation, numbered 2129, intends to introduce a surcharge on fast fashion items that would increase progressively, reaching up to 10 euros by 2030, and includes an Article 3 that bans the advertisement of ephemeral fashion brands’ products.

As we await the spring to see if this proposal will become law, the efforts of Vermorel Marques and his colleagues highlight a growing legislative focus on combating the environmental harm caused by fast fashion. This approach, blending legislative action with social media engagement, exemplifies a novel strategy to connect with and educate the public on crucial environmental issues.