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Fast fashion retailers rely heavily on shipping by air. The president’s tariffs could change that.

Shein packages ready to be shipped from a factory in Guangzhou, China, in February.Gilles Sabrié for The New York Times

Fast-fashion giants like Shein and Temu have been doing booming business in the United States in recent years, in part because of a tariff exemption that’s helped to keep prices low on packages shipped from China.

Now, President Trump has ordered the loophole closed as part of new tariffs, starting with packages from China and Hong Kong. It could have the effect, probably unintended, of putting a dent in global airfreight emissions linked to the fashion industry.

Last year, 1.36 billion packages entered the United States through that loophole, which is known as the de minimis exemption and allows goods worth less than $800 to enter the country without tariffs. The largest source

Keep reading this article on The New York Times Energy & Environment.

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