In the first-ever targets to be established at EU level to reduce textile waste, the European Council and Parliament have reached a provisional agreement on new measures to prevent and reduce waste from textiles across the region.
- The provisional agreement was reached by the Council’s Presidency and the representatives of the European Parliament, based on mandates from their respective institutions.
- The provisional agreement will now have to be endorsed by the Council and the Parliament before undergoing legal linguistic revision.
- Once formally adopted, EU member states will have up to 20 months to update their national laws to follow the new rules.
- The Commission will be tasked with reviewing and assessing several aspects of the waste framework directive. Those include the financing of the extended producer responsibility schemes and possible targets concerning waste textile (by 2029).
The two co-legislators agreed on ambitious yet realistic targets by 2030:
- The provisional agreement establishes harmonised rules on the extended producer responsibility of textile producers and fashion brands: they will be made responsible for their waste and will be required to pay a fee to help fund waste collection and treatment, which will be dependent on how circular and sustainable the design of their product is.
- Co-legislators agreed to address overgeneration of waste textile and ultra-fast and fast fashion practices, to prevent discarding of textile products before they reach their potential lifetime. Member states may adapt fees paid by producers according to the length of use of textile products and their durability.
- The provisional agreement provides for a level playing field, including all companies in the scope of extended producer responsibility schemes.
- Under this harmonised framework, all companies, including smaller ones, would have access to necessary resources and infrastructure for proper waste textile treatment.
- To reduce administrative burden, microenterprises will have one additional year to comply with these obligations after the extended producer responsibility schemes are established (in total, 3.5 years after the entry into force of the new rules).
- The new rules would cover products such as clothing and accessories, footwear, blankets, bed and kitchen linen, curtains, hats.
- At Parliament’s initiative, EU countries may also set up EPR schemes for the producers of mattresses.
BACKGROUND: The EU generates 12.6 million tonnes of waste textile per year.
- Clothing and footwear alone account for 5.2 million tonnes of waste, equivalent to 12 kg of waste per person every year.
- It is estimated that less than 1% of all textiles worldwide are recycled into new products.
- It was in July 2023 that the Commission proposed a revision of the EU rules on waste, targeted at food and textile waste. Under the existing rules, EU countries were already required to set up separate collection of textiles by 1 January 2025.
WHAT THEY SAID:
During the final negotiations round, Parliament succeeded to secure provisions making sure that food waste and textiles waste as part of the municipal waste will be further reduced. We succeeded in ensuring feasible and realistic provisions for member states to implement food waste reduction policies and we managed to ensure that the agriculture sector will not be negatively impacted. We also set up the legal framework to ensure that producers contribute to the effective separate collection of textiles they produce. We managed to lower the administrative burden both for member states and economic operators.
— Anna Zalewska
Rapporteur
European Conservatives and Reformists Group
Today’s agreement on waste textile marks a significant step towards a robust, circular, and competitive EU economy, while upholding the polluter pays principle.
— Paulina Hennig-Kloska
Minister for Climate and Environment
Poland
