The European Environment Agency (EEA) is for the European Union what the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is for the United States: the government agency that advises on environmental policy. The key difference is, while the administration of Agent Orange is busy remaking EPA into the Economic Protection Agency, the EU is actually working to enact legislation based on the scientific findings of their EEA. Case in point: two-and-a-half years ago, the EU approved a ban on the destruction of unsold clothing, accessories, and shoes. The ban was prompted by the EEA identifying textiles as the fifth highest sector in greenhouse gas emissions and third highest source of pressure on water and land in the EU. This past Sunday, the ban officially went into effect for large fashion retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers, requiring them instead to offer discounts to sell the excess stock or donate it to charity. Of course, the new rule is ruffling pleats in the fast fashion industry.
Under the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, large companies with more than 250 employees and over €50 million in net annual turnover are banned from destroying stocks of unsold clothing, accessories and footwear.
Firms must now find ways of selling the products, including via discounts, alternative markets and charity donations.
Unsold clothes can only be destroyed when items are unsafe, damaged, counterfeit or rejected by charities, according to a post on the European Commission’s website.
Companies are now required to publish annual reports on the goods they have discarded and keep records for five years.
The regulation, which was approved by Brussels more than two years ago, will be extended to medium-sized firms in 2030.
Concerns about so-called fast fashion — low-cost, lower-quality mass-produced clothing — have grown significantly over the past decade.
According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), around 4% to 9% of unsold textile products are destroyed each year.
The waste has been exacerbated by rapid growth in online shopping and returns.
Across the EU, one in five fashion goods ordered online is later returned to the retailer and not resold.
Combined, this amounts to hundreds of thousands of tons of clothes, accessories and footwear.
The new ban aims to help reduce the impact on the environment, as the incineration of millions of clothes hits efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
EU states are also under pressure to consider waste from raw materials, water, energy and transport in the apparel sector and to encourage more recycling and the reuse of products.
In a recent LinkedIn post, the EEA said the bloc wanted the textile industry to become more sustainable.
“A circular economy — where products are designed to last, and are reused, repaired and recycled — is no longer just a vision, but is being embedded in law through these new legislative measures,” the EEA wrote.
The fashion industry has repeatedly defended its tactics, noting that disposal is often cheaper than storing, repairing or discounting the products.
“A circular economy — where products are designed to last, and are reused, repaired and recycled…” Wow, what a concept! Imagine if our appliance and tech companies worked this way, instead of ensuring we need to buy replacements or new models every few years. As for the ban, I really hope it makes a difference, because the numbers are not good: the EEA says that 60-70% of textiles are made of plastic (which in turn is made of oil and gas), and currently less than 1% of all textiles get recycled. Incidentally, Princess Anne (of all people) spoke about the fast fashion problem a couple years ago shortly after the EU voted on the ban. Unsurprisingly, Anne — miss no-fuss, I’ll just wear my 40-year-old gown that still fits — championed sustainable fashion, and also skilled tailors who know how to give a piece of clothing new life. Rich coming from a princess, I know, but she’s certainly walked the walk on this issue more than anyone else in that family.
Photo note by Celebitchy: These are all screenshots from the awesome movie I Love Boosters. Check it out on demand now. Here’s a link to the trailer
5 Responses to “EU implements ban on destroying unsold clothing, accessories and shoes”
I don’t know what the Massachusetts law is for retailers but we common folk are expected to recycle all textiles, including shoes. They did try curbside pickup in some towns for a while but have since moved to bins, usually near schools, where people can drop things off.
Lol, I am European but I read it here first.
Thank you very much for highlighting this.
Glad they’re not allowing such massive waste anymore.
This is one of the reasons I don’t buy from expensive brands, as they often do it even more to preserve “exclusivity”.
(another reason is that I rather spend my money on other things 😉 )
This will affect the luxury market just as much as fast fashion. Luxury brands will often destroy unsold products because they don’t want them sold at a discount. They do this to keep the illusion of the brand being “aspirational” or luxury. This is going to affect everyone across the board in fashion.
The vast majority of microplastics in our bodies come from clothes. All synthetic fabrics are some version of plastic and are made from oil and gas.
This is a great measure that will also positively impact the upstream CO2 emission footprint of the sector, as they will have to better manage stocks (and avoid overproduction) to control the costs linked to downstream reusability obligations. It will also push fashion brands towards products, materials and processes that facilitate recycling. Good news 😊
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