EU Prepares for Additional Obligations for Food and Textile Waste

07 May 2025

The European Council and the European Parliament announced that they reached an interim agreement on food and textile sector waste.

The agreement, which must be voted on by the units of both parties to come into force, brings responsibilities on the producer and consumer sides to reduce waste arising from both areas.

According to the statement made by the European Council, according to the agreement reached, it is aimed to reduce the waste resulting from the food processing and production process by 10% and the food waste from retail, restaurants, food services and households by 30% for 2030, compared to the years 2021-2023.

The agreement also includes provisions for the voluntary donation of unsold but safe for human consumption food, which stands out as an important element of food waste.

Textile manufacturers and fashion companies will have financial responsibilities for the scale of their waste

The agreement also brings important obligations for textile manufacturers and fashion brands.

Under the agreement, manufacturers and brands will be held responsible for their waste and must pay a fee to help finance waste collection and processing.

This price will be determined depending on how circular and sustainable the design of their products is.

In addition, union member countries will be able to determine these fees to be applied to textile manufacturers, depending on the usage period and durability of their products.

In this way, it is aimed to prevent textile products from being thrown away before they reach their potential lifespan and excessive waste due to ultra-fast and fast fashion trends.

The agreement also includes access to the necessary resources and infrastructure for textile businesses of all sizes, including small businesses, within the scope of expanded producer responsibility plans.

In order to reduce the administrative burden for micro businesses, these businesses will be given a total of 3.5 years, including one additional year after the regulation comes into force, to comply with the obligations.

The annual amount of waste in the two areas is 71.6 million tons

In the statement of the Council, it was stated that 59 million tons of food waste is generated in the European Union every year, causing an economic resource of 132 billion Euros.

According to the statement, 12.6 million tons of textile waste is generated in the union countries every year, 5.2 million tons of which are clothes and shoes, and this corresponds to 12 kilograms of waste per person.

Source: Green Economy

 

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