“Repair bonus” for clothes and shoes saved the French 2.3 million euros

Those responsible for the project are pleased with the “very good start.” Launched last November, the “repair bonus” for clothes and shoes will allow the French to save 2.3 million euros over the six months of its existence, the head of the fund said on Monday.

As with household appliances, the “repair bonus” for textiles (excluding household linens and lingerie) allows consumers to receive discounts on repairs from trusted professionals, a list of which is available on Bonusreparation.fr.

This automatically provides a discount on the cost of repairs – for example, 7 euros for a hole, fray or fray on clothing or 25 euros for repairing leather shoes.

No more repaired shoes

About 250,000 repairs were carried out under the system, including 84% shoe repairs and 16% retouching, said Elsa Chassagnette of Refashion, the environmental organization that runs the Repair Fund and which has been tasked by the government with supporting the industry towards a more circular path. economy.

With a “tenfold increase in repairs since December” among certified repairers, “this is a very good start,” she said. According to Ademe, 16 million items of clothing and footwear were repaired in 2019. Refashion hopes to increase this figure to 21.6 million by 2028 with this system.

She said 1,050 stores, including 40% shoe repair and 60% shoe repair, allow consumers to take advantage of the bonus. “One in two households is less than ten minutes by car from a certified repairman,” even though there are “large regional differences” in that geographic reach, the manager admits.

Bonus 8 euros on average

The average bonus is 8 euros, which “may seem quite small if you know that the bonus ranges from 6 to 25 euros, but most often minor repairs are required”, such as replacing heels on shoes or scuffs on clothes.

Are these bonuses used by users who are already convinced of the repair, or do they help attract new customers? “Anecdotal evidence from (…) consumers as well as certified repairers tends to suggest that (the bonus) results in more repairs,” Elsa Chassagnette replies.

As part of the REP (extended producer responsibility) sector, under the polluter pays principle, each fashion brand pays an environmental contribution to Refashion, which should release one billion euros in the period 2023-2028, part of which goes to the Reparations Fund.