ultra fast fashion

Extra-EU parcel tax approved in Europe to curb ultra-fast fashion, as Italy joins the move

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Can the levy really deter low-cost purchases — or does it serve other interests?


Imagine a new charge on every low-cost fashion parcel from abroad: this is the core of the newly approved Extra-EU parcel tax. The measure represents a European policy intervention designed to make disposable clothing bear more of its real cost. At the same time, it protects local markets from what is increasingly described as unfair competition.

According to the European Commission, in 2025 alone around 4.6 billion items were imported into the EU. Each was valued at less than €150 — the equivalent of approximately 12 million parcels per day. This figure has doubled in just two years. Imports stood at 2.3 billion items in 2023 and 1.4 billion in 2022.

Italy, too, is moving in this direction. In fact, the government plans to introduce a €2 tax on each parcel arriving from outside the EU.

But can such a modest levy really curb the tide of low-cost and ultra-fast fashion purchases? And what are the deeper motivations behind this policy shift?

Europe approves extra-EU parcel tax to curb ultra-fast fashion


A €3 tax on all parcels valued below €150 and shipped from third countries has now been approved in Brussels. The measure is set to come into force on 1 July 2026 and aims to address the growing impact of low-cost e-commerce platforms – not only in fashion, but particularly visible there – such as Shein, Temu, and AliExpress.

The tax will be applied per parcel, not per item. This means that three products shipped together in a single package will incur a total charge of €3, whereas three separate parcels would be taxed €9 in total. 

The structure clearly incentivises consolidated shipping rather than discouraging consumption itself.

Extra-EU parcel tax: Italy targets low-cost imports in bid against unfair competition


Italy is preparing to introduce its own levy on shipments from outside the European Union valued under €150 (approximately $176). At the same time, the government plans to double its financial transaction tax, as Rome seeks additional revenue to fund costly budget amendments, according to official documents.

With around 330 million low-value parcels arriving in Italy each year, and accounting for the likelihood that some sellers will attempt to circumvent the new charge, the government estimates annual revenues of €245 million from the measure.

Specifically, the low-value parcel levy – fixed at €2 per shipment – is projected to raise €122.5 million next year, followed by €245 million annually in both 2027 and 2028, according to parliamentary documents cited by Reuters.

In September, the government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also projected that the overall tax burden – defined as total taxes and social contributions relative to GDP – would rise to 42.8% this year, up from 42.5% in 2024. This places Italy among the most heavily taxed economies in the developed world.

Some considerations: what are the real reasons behind this?


The extra-EU parcel tax represents Europe’s most direct challenge yet to Chinese ultra-fast fashion as a business model. However, this legislative move does not appear to be driven primarily by environmental or sustainability concerns. Rather, it functions as a form of industrial protectionism, aimed at shielding European fast-fashion producers from external competition.

This raises an uncomfortable but necessary question: if fast fashion is widely acknowledged as destructive and unsustainable, on what grounds should its European version be protected?

Ultimately, we must also ask whether a €3 or €2 levy can genuinely deter the purchase of ultra-low-cost goods. If the tax fails to alter consumer behaviour, it becomes reasonable to conclude that its true purpose is simply to redirect significant sums into national or European coffers.

And these sums are far from negligible.

Taking the 2025 estimate of 12 million parcels per day and multiplying it by €3 gives a theoretical annual revenue. This total exceeds €13 billion.

A considerable income for governments, even if consumer behaviour remains unchanged.

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B Corp and ultra-fast fashion: A contradiction of our time?

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What does it really mean when a disposable fashion brand earns a sustainability seal?


What happens when B Corp meets ultra-fast fashion?
When BusinessWire announces, “Princess Polly Becomes a Certified B Corporation™”, and BOF frames it as “the US-Australian Shein competitor earning socially responsible recognition,” we’re forced to ask: Is this progress — or just polished greenwashing?

BOF’s headline says it all: “Can an Ultra-Fast Fashion Brand Be ‘Sustainable’?”
Spoiler: it’s a rhetorical question. At least, we hope so.

What is a B Corp?
“A B Corp certification signifies that a company meets certain standards of social and environmental responsibility, but it doesn’t address all aspects of operations and practices.” —This is Greenwashing

B Corp certification and ultra-fast fashion: A Stamp of approval or a smokescreen?


Princess Polly’s Co-CEO, Eirin Bryett, celebrates the certification as proof of their “commitment to purpose-driven practices.”
But let’s be real: can a brand built on overproduction, hyper-consumption, and disposable trends genuinely “embed sustainability into every part of its business”?

After finishing This Is Greenwashing, we almost shelved it, thinking the market was saturated with truth-tellers. Turns out, the greenwashing playbook is still going strong.

The B Corp blind spot: Overproduction


In our book, This is Greenwashing, we called out B Corp’s limitations:

“B Corp certification evaluates various aspects of a company’s operations, including its environmental impact. However, overproduction may not be explicitly addressed, emphasising instead the use of sustainable materials, ethical labour practices, and other criteria.”

Fast fashion’s entire model relies on planned obsolescence — yet B Corp rewards brands for ticking boxes (recycled packaging! carbon offsets!) while sidestepping the root problem: overproduction. And ultra-fast fashion takes it to an even more extreme level.

B Corp and ultra-fast fashion – Final thoughts


We don’t doubt Princess Polly’s intentions. But good intentions don’t change business models.
When a brand profits from overproduction, it isn’t sustainable.
When a brand profits from convincing shoppers to buy more, faster — then slaps on a sustainability badge — it’s not progress. It’s PR.

So, what happens when B Corp meets ultra-fast fashion?
Simple: it’s greenwashing in a purpose-washed package.
Worse yet, the very notion that ultra-fast fashion could be labelled ‘sustainable’ is absurd.

In short, this is greenwashing.

P.S. Tired of being misled?
Read This is Greenwashing — awareness is power.

📘Get your e-book here, from your favourite digital store:  https://books2read.com/u/bpgxOX

Spot the lies. Demand better.

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French Senate passes law to curb ultra-fast fashion 

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Targeting exploitative practices—or protectionism against China?


On Tuesday, 10 June, the French Senate approved a law to regulate ultra-fast fashion, with provisions that could ban advertising by Chinese e-commerce giants like Shein and Temu. The move amplifies France’s push to rein in the textile industry’s environmental toll—but raises questions about whom the law truly serves.

Last year, France’s National Assembly (the lower house) passed a bill to mitigate the textile sector’s ecological damage. Now, the Senate has voted nearly unanimously for a modified version, drawing a sharp line between fast fashion and ultra-fast fashion. The latter—dominated by Shein’s 7,200 daily new designs and Temu’s $5 dresses—faces stricter rules, while European brands like Zara and Kiabi escape the heaviest burdens.

The environmental stakes are undeniable. Ultra-fast fashion’s rock-bottom prices come at a cost: 35 garments are discarded every second in France, and the average person buys 48 items a year, according to the state agency Ademe. The law imposes penalties of up to €10 per item (or 50% of the pre-tax price) by 2030 for non-compliance with sustainability criteria.

But the political subtext is harder to ignore. French retailers like Jennyfer (liquidated in April) and NafNaf (in receivership since May) have long blamed Chinese competitors for their decline. By tailoring restrictions to platforms like Shein, the Senate risks framing this as a trade war—not a principled stand against exploitation.

Before implementation, the law must clear procedural hurdles: EU notification and reconciliation between parliamentary versions. Yet its asymmetry is already glaring. The bill attacks the symptom (ultra-fast fashion’s waste) while sidestepping the disease (an industry-wide race to the bottom on labour and ecology).

Final thoughts


The fast and ultra-fast fashion market is undeniably expanding—but so too are its consequences. These aren’t just environmental disasters; they’re social ones, built on exploited labour and disposable consumption. If the solution exempts European players clinging to the same model, is this really about ethics—or just economic self-interest?

The unanimous French Senate vote may suggest consensus, but it doesn’t resolve the contradiction. A truly ethical stance would challenge the exploitative model itself—whether the label reads “Made in China” or “Made in Europe.”

So, let’s return to the central question: Is this law a stand against fast fashion’s abuses—or merely a stand against China? The answer, much like the industry it targets, may not be as sustainable as it seems.

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From Fast To Ultra-Fast: A Cultural Regression

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Is ultra-fast fashion what people learned from the pandemic?


From fast to ultra-fast fashion, we are witnessing a cultural regression in the fashion industry. And so, in our society. Something that makes you question the human ability to learn, especially in the face of such serious events we have lived in lately.

Forget the long-awaited thoughtful consumption habits! Started after the pandemic, this trend represents a sharp and clear setback.

To reduce its impact on the planet, the fashion industry was supposed to evolve, experimenting with new sustainable paths. The pandemic, which worked as a catalyst, highlighted this urgent matter. Therefore, a more balanced structure and timing, shorter production chains, and healthier consumption habits seemed a conscious evolution to pursue. A need to change for the better.

The ultra fast growth


Unfortunately, the industry shifted from fast fashion to ultra-fast fashion! And you know what? Consumers really loved it!
Astonishing–that is the biggest change trending everywhere.

Now with 5€, you can buy a dress. Certainly, this new production trend is more polluting than fast fashion. But does anyone care? Even if it is more polluting, ultra-fast fashion has become very very popular.

Ultra-fast fashion and resale


Apparently, at the same time, the resale of extremely poor-quality items is growing. But what is the point of reselling ultra-fast fashion garments? Reselling garments made with a zero concept of durability is just smoke and mirrors.

Indeed reselling garbage clothing that, if you are lucky, will survive the first wash simply hides a push towards overconsumption. The industry produces more and more cheap garments, and as a consequence, both young and not-so-young consumers continue to buy more and more pieces. And they can even resell those items, but the overconsumption trick behind it is clear.

All of this has nothing to do with sustainability. So, when they say Gen Z prioritises sustainability, what are they talking about? And what do they mean by sustainability?

The wrong answer


After the pandemic, the fashion industry shifted from fast to ultra-fast fashion, generating mountains of garbage clothing with a tragic impact on both people and the planet. However, the problems we are witnessing won’t be solved by producing more and consuming more! Yet, it seems that very few people truly care. Do you care?

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