France will start subsidizing their citizens’ shoe repairs

• France has introduced a discount for repairing shoes and clothing. 
• The bonus incentivizes people to keep the items they already own instead of throwing them away.
• Clothing repairs are favored by sustainability advocates, but they can be expensive. 

French citizens will soon be entitled to discounts on their shoe and clothing repairs. 

Beginning in October, the country’s government will give a 7 euros, or about $7.79, discount for heel repairs and between €10 and €25  for clothing repairs, Le Monde first reported. The bonus will be available for the next five years from a total fund of €154 million, or about $171 million.

The country hopes the discount will incentivize people to keep the items they already own, rather than throwing them away and purchasing brand new items.

The fashion industry contributes 10% of global carbon emissions, more than international flights and maritime shipping combined, Insider previously reported. Approximately 21 billion tons of clothing are sent to landfills each year, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. 

Sustainability advocates favor clothing repairs as one way to slow the climate crisis and create a circular economy, in which we reuse existing resources and reduce waste. 

However, there is a significant cost barrier to normalizing repairs. The nonprofit donation center Goodwill cleaned and repaired more than 1,000 garments in a pilot program organized by the California Product Stewardship Council, local news site Mission Local reported. 

Goodwill repaired and sold more than 700 damaged items that would have been thrown away for an average price of $31 per recycled item. The organization found that the repairs can be expensive — stains cost an average of $17.34 to remove and other repairs cost up to $34.

This isn’t the first time France has incentivized repairs. In April, the government doubled-down on discounts for citizens who repaired their home appliances instead of throwing them away. When they service an appliance through a participating business, they can receive as much as €30 for small items like a vacuum cleaner and up to €90  for a computer.

While France isn’t the most sustainable country in the world, it’s in 12th place on Yale University’s annual Environmental Performance Index, which ranks 180 countries on climate change performance, environmental health, and ecosystem vitality.