“Disorders” and additional costs: the government sanctions ReFashion for its management of textile waste

He had been mandated by the State to structure the textile waste sector in France. This Monday, the eco-organization ReFashion was sanctioned for non-compliance with this obligation, the government confirmed.

A letter of sanction was sent by the General Directorate of Risk Prevention (DGPR) to ReFashion, indicated the Ministry of Ecological Transition, confirming information from the media Déchets Infos, taken up by the specialized media Contexte. According to the latter, this sanction would amount to 170,000 euros.

Actors in the social and solidarity economy (ESS), such as Le Relais, Emmaüs or La Croix-Rouge, who sort textile waste have been overwhelmed for several months by considerable volumes and cannot process everything.

The waste must be collected by the eco-organization ReFashion, which failed to fulfill its obligations in 2024 and 2025, causing “disorder on the public highway”, with waste “the removal of which weighs on the finances of local authorities, as well as significant additional costs for ESS operators, forced to take responsibility at their own expense for the storage and treatment of this waste”, noted the DGRP in its letter, cited by Contexte.

The sector in crisis

In France, nearly 900,000 tonnes of clothing, household linen and shoes were placed on the market in 2024. However, the textile waste processing sector has been going through a crisis for more than a year.

The system, which relies mainly on the export of this waste, particularly to Africa, is blocked, with export markets being saturated with clothing imported from China, second-hand or new and at low prices.

In addition, traditional collection operators, who finance themselves by reselling clothes in good condition, collect less and less, due to competition from second-hand platforms like Vinted or from the brands themselves.

A planned audit

In January, the government announced that it wanted a more effective arsenal to sanction the failures of eco-organizations, financed by manufacturers to support communities in the collection and sorting of waste in their sector.

ReFashion has a budget of 1.2 billion euros over the period 2023-2028. This windfall must finance the collection, recycling, repair or reuse of used clothing, household linen and shoes.

On Friday, the government announced “an audit of ReFashion (…) to ensure optimal use of resources” and an overhaul of its specifications.