European Parliament lawmakers today voted 514-20 to adopt a series of proposals aimed at reducing waste from the textile and food sectors, including requiring fashion brands and textile producers to pay for the collection and recycling of clothing and footwear. , and the definition of mandatory maintenance obligations. waste reduction targets for EU member states.
Your vote marks Parliament's adoption of its position on the proposed revision of the European Commission's Waste Framework, revealed by the Commission in July 2023, which aims to reduce the environmental and climate impacts of the textile and food sectors, which it identified as two of the main resource-intensive sectors, causing significant negative environmental externalities.
According to the Commission, the EU generates 12.6 million tonnes of textile waste per year, including 5.2 million tonnes of clothing and footwear, while only 22% of post-consumer textile waste is collected separately for reuse or recycling, with the remainder often landfilled or incinerated. Furthermore, every year almost 59 million tonnes of food are wasted in the EU, with an estimated market value of €132 billion.
In its proposal, the Commission noted the exacerbated impact of fast fashion on the creation of textile waste, which places low-priced products on the market that do not internalize environmental externalities in the cost and encourages greater volume purchases of clothing. The proposed new rules adopted by MEPs would extend producer responsibility schemes (EPR), currently used to manage waste from packaging, batteries and electrical and electronic equipment, to include textiles, requiring producers to cover the costs of collection, sorting and recycling separately. Products covered by the new requirements would include clothing and accessories, blankets, bedding, curtains, hats, footwear, mattresses and rugs, including products containing textile-related materials such as leather, reconstituted leather, rubber or plastic.
The text adopted by MEPs also reinforces the proposals on food waste put forward by the Commission, requiring Member States to implement 2030 targets to reduce waste by at least 20% in food processing and manufacturing, and 40% per capita in retail, restaurants, food services. and families, compared to the Commission's proposals for reductions of 10% and 30% respectively. MEPs also requested that the Commission evaluate the introduction of targets of 30% and 50%, respectively, for 2035.
Parliament rapporteur Anna Zalewska stated:
“Parliament has put forward specific solutions to reduce food waste, such as promoting “ugly” fruits and vegetables, keeping an eye on unfair market practices, clarifying date labeling and donating unsold but consumable food. For textiles, we also want to include non-household products, carpets and mattresses, as well as sales through online platforms.”
