France, a pioneer in Extended Producer Responsibility management and circularity
Among the 28 EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) schemes for textiles recently mapped by the Global Fashion Agenda, the one in France is the oldest. In 2007 the country became the first to adopt EPR as a policy tool to tackle textile waste from products at the end of their life cycle. 
The 2020 AGEC law strengthened this framework with eco-modulation incentives, funding dedicated to repair and reuse , as well as R&D programs to boost recycling. More recently, in June 2025, the Parliament tabled a draft bill introducing financial penalties on ultra-fast fashion items through eco-modulation which has not yet been formally adopted.

Refashion, a capillary and widespread waste collection
Refashion, the PRO (Producer Responsibility Organisation) covering apparel, footwear and household linen, has been active for more than 18 years. Although France allows individual compliance in EPR management, 95% of the market players are registered members of the Refashion collective compliance scheme, testifying to the successful uptake of the organisation. As of 2025, Refashion counts over 14,000 members, and 610 partnerships with local authorities. 
Through its network of sorting and collection partners - mainly from the social economy - Refashion ensures coverage of one textile drop-off point per 1,400 inhabitants on average. In 2024, it collected around one third of the textile and footwear waste generated annually in France (calculated in relation to the products placed on the market each year), equivalent to almost 300,000 tons of end-of-life clothing, footwear and household linen (additional data available here). Around 200,000 tons of this waste stream were sorted.

Beyond waste management
Initially born to financially support the collection and sorting of discarded textiles, the French EPR scheme has progressively evolved to address waste prevention and achieve higher circularity through local reuse, repair and recycling. 
Refashion is funded through eco-fees paid by producers. These resources are allocated according to the EPR specifications: for collecting, sorting, and processing used textiles and footwear (29%) and to fund incentives that reward sustainable design practices (20%). Additionally, Refashion supports repair programmes and reuse initiatives (23 %). Beyond compliance administration, Refashion manages mandatory waste prevention plans, funds initiatives on traceability improvement for sorting operators activities, and operates the Refashion Recycle platform, which connects circular supply chains. It also allocates funding for research and development activities on automated sorting and recycling (5%).

Incentive for ecodesign in practice
Refashion applies an incentive scheme that encourages circular design through monetary benefits. These can be linked to product durability, environmental certifications (GOTS, Oeko-Tex Made in Green, European Ecolabel), or the incorporation of recycled materials. Conversely, recyclability penalties target metalloplastic fibres and electronic components, with amounts detailed by product line.

Conclusion
While EPR schemes alone cannot solve systemic issues such as overproduction or infrastructure bottlenecks, Refashion demonstrates how a PRO can go beyond compliance to drive innovation, cooperation and investment towards circular clothing household, linen and footwear. France’s experience provides valuable lessons for the upcoming EU-wide textile EPR implementation.