I had two independent SAs reference something similar over the past year. They each said something about H was planning to start making fewer and fewer exotics due to various regions clamping down on the sale of them. I got the feeling in the convos that similar legislation is slotted for France/Europe as well. I didn’t pay it much mind as I’m not interested in exotics but the convo was basically “well if you’re considering getting one ever, now would be better than later...”
ETA neither of these conversations were in California.
I can't find any such proposals for France after a quick search and I think if it does happen in Europe, I think it'll be in the UK first or some other country where fashion and the luxury industry isn't so important for the economy and the culture for obvious reasons. Although you never know. I don't mean to say that French (or say German) people are less environmentally aware on average than people in the US (or in California specifically) or the UK and this is more of a very specific animal welfare issue that I have a hard time seeing as a great step for the environment. in terms of US vs. EU There are some cultural differences at play here too, like the French government has done a lot to combat plastic waste so far, French farming is less industrial and emissions in general are way below those in the US (and in California), but more "traditional" practices like leather craftsmanship are often given exemptions on a smaller scale to protect cultural heritage or something similar. I presume it might happen to exotic skins too. You can still get very exotic skins in France legally if you know where to go. But in quantities that make luxury brands' use of exotic skins look mass market, which really is a big part of the problem.
On a related note, Chanel stopped selling exotics this year and a big UK department store Selfridges did too. LVMH also took measures to have greater control of the provenance of exotics.