Customers can claim €7 for mending a heel and €10-25 for repairing apparel from a €154-million fund set up to fund the initiative till 2028.

Secretary of state for ecology Berangere Couillard made the announcement during a recent visit to the Paris premises of La Caserne, a hub for responsible fashion.

She invited all sewing workshops and shoemakers to join the system, to be labelled by eco-organisation Refashion, has been instructed by the government to support a more sustainable industry, a newswire reported.

The decision aims at reducing the 700,000 tonnes of clothes thrown away by the country’s citizens every year, two-thirds of which ends up in landfills.

Created on the lines of the household appliance repair bonus, the aid is part of a vast reform of the textile sector initiated by the French government since the end of last year.

It aims at forcing brands to have more traceability and financially supporting organisations specialising in reusing and recycling clothing.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)