It’s time to end the fast-fashion business model in the EU, says Ó Ríordáin MEP
It’s time to end the fast-fashion business model in the EU, says Ó Ríordáin MEP - The Labour Party
Responding to the announcement of €2 levy on small parcels in the EU by the European Commission, Dublin MEP Aodhán Ó Ríordáin has said:
“The amount of parcels coming into the EU from companies like Shein and Temu has tripled in the last two years. These companies have been flooding our EU market with ultra-cheap, poorly regulated goods and clothing – but this cheap stuff comes at a cost. That cost is being paid by the workers who have to make these goods and by our planet.
“I commend the European Commission for the steps it is taking to tackle this issue. The introduction of a €2 levy is a modest but necessary intervention to begin rebalancing a playing field that has tilted too far in favour of low-cost, low-standard imports.
“With Trump’s global trade tirade – this problem could become even worse as Chinese companies, locked out of the US market, look for new parts of the world to dump their products. We can’t allow this to happen – and so this move from the Commission is more important now than ever before.
“While we welcome this decision, we need more actions to break these companies’ business models once and for all. And we need measures to directly target the companies – rather than just consumers who are understandably drawn to these products as a result of the cost of living crisis.
“We cannot allow a race to the bottom. We cannot stand by while European consumers are exposed to uninspected, unregulated products, and while ethical producers are priced out of the market. We must be clear – Europe can no longer turn a blind eye to exploitative and unsustainable practices.”