France launches cash aid for people to repair clothes

Clothes and shoes repairs are now eligible for financial aid from the government as the ‘bonus réparation’ is officially rolled out to include textiles.

Consumers can now take their clothes and shoes to one of the 600 recognised repairers throughout France, and receive money off the total cost of the work. A discount will be applied automatically, as long as the repair and items are covered.

For example, repairing a hole or tear could see a €7 discount, while replacing the soles on leather shoes could be as much as €25, depending on the total cost. Up to 60% of the repair cost can be covered.

A full list of the participating repair shops can be seen at bonusreparation.fr.

‘Good for the environment and purchasing power’

The scheme already applies to many electronic and electrical goods, including kettles and laptops. It is intended to be “good for the environment and also for purchasing power”, said Ecology Minister Christophe Béchu.

Read more: How to get financial help to repair a smartphone in France

Read more: LIST: See what state aid is available to repair home goods in France

The minister launched the extension of the bonus réparation plan on Tuesday, November 7.

So far, the scheme applies to clothes and shoes, but linen and lingerie are not eligible, Elsa Chassagnette, from the eco-clothes company Refashion, told AFP.

Refashion has been tasked with helping the government to launch the scheme for clothes, in a bid to create a ‘more circular economy’, with less waste. The repair fund (Le Fonds réparation) has been allocated €154 million over the period 2023-2028.

The money will be used to finance the scheme, but also to raise awareness of it among consumers, Ms Chassagnette said. It will also go towards helping to train approved repairers.

However she reiterated that the aid is only available to cover genuine repairs, not alterations.

Rising consumption and repair aims

“Consumption of clothing and footwear has risen sharply in recent years, with 826,000 tonnes purchased in 2022 in France," she said, adding that the country throws away more than 260,000 tonnes of products annually.

And while figures from Ademe estimate that 16 million items were repaired in 2019, Refashion is aiming to increase this figure to 21.6 million by 2028 as a result of the new scheme.

Refashion also receives contributions from fashion brands directly, as part of the filière REP (responsabilité élargie du producteur, the extended producer responsibility) chain.

This is based on the idea that the "polluter should pay”. These contributions are expected to raise €1 billion for the cause over the 2023-2028 period.

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