RMIT professor Alice Payne has called the ultra-fast fashion tax that France is currently establishing a very progressive step but said Australia has a long way to go in making the same move.
“The ultra-fast fashion tax that France is establishing is very progressive and recognises the urgency of the issue of overconsumption and textile waste,” Payne said, who is also the Dean of RMIT's School of Fashion & Textiles.
“However, France has had a mandatory extended producer responsibility (EPR) scheme in place since 2007, with a levy per item. In terms of the acceptance of such an initiative, France is in a very different industry and political environment to Australia, where an EPR is only now being established.”
That EPR is called Seamless - a national clothing product stewardship scheme designed by the Australian Fashion Council and the Federal government alongside a selection of industry delegates. The scheme was officially revealed in June 2023, which then went through a transition period.
Seamless is expected to launch in full operation next month.
“To meet the Australian government’s commitment to achieve a circular economy by 2030, change will be required across our society,” Payne said.
“The ways we design, produce, use, and dispose of all products and materials must be upended – and in six years’ time.
“The Seamless product stewardship scheme is the mechanism that Australian industry and consumers need to work with to help create a circular economy for fashion.”
The scheme will involve a 4-cent charge per item on every garment, paid by industry. It is understood the scheme will be voluntary, with several major businesses already signed on. This includes David Jones, Big W, R.M.Williams, Lorna Jane, Rip Curl and The Iconic, with Cotton On Group and Sussan Group signing on within the transition period.
“The purpose of Seamless is to enable Australian fashion and clothing to go truly circular and to greatly reduce the 200,000 tonnes of clothing that currently goes to Australian landfill each year,” Payne said.
“Funded by the federal government and led by the Australian Fashion Council, a consortium of organisations developed this scheme through industry consultation over 18 months. The resulting scheme, Seamless, led by CEO Ainsley Simpson, is now established as the product stewardship scheme that will put Australian fashion on the path to circularity by transforming outdated business models, driving innovation, changing citizen behaviour, and supporting high-value recycling.
“Without question, the direct-to-consumer model of ultra-fast fashion must be tackled, and a tax – both here and in France – is an important approach to curtail overconsumption and direct consumers to acquire clothing from other sources.
“The good news is, the Australian fashion industry can act right now through supporting Seamless to help drive positive, coordinated change for the whole sector, and to advocate on behalf of the Australian community for policy change.”