Fashion industry: EU decides to ban destruction of unsold clothes

12/5/2023, 10:06:33 AM

Highlights: The EU has decided to ban the sale of large amounts of unsold clothing. There will be exceptions for small and medium-sized businesses. The aim is to make it easier to repair and reuse clothing. The ban is expected to be in place for at least two years, with an extension if necessary. The decision was made by the European Commission and the European Council of Ministers, both of which are in charge of the EU's economic and social affairs. The European Commission said the ban was necessary to protect the environment, and was not intended to be permanent.

Fashion retailers are no longer allowed to destroy clothing in the EU. Larger companies in particular are affected by the new ban, with exceptions for smaller ones. This, together with a repair index, is intended to make goods more durable.

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Larger retailers will no longer be allowed to destroy unsold clothing in the EU. Negotiators from the European Parliament and the EU states also agreed on Tuesday night that the EU Commission can extend the ban to other products in the future, the two negotiating sides announced.

Parliament and EU member states still have to officially approve the agreement, but this is considered a formality. The background to the new ban is a proposal by the EU Commission from March 2022 on the so-called Ecodesign Regulation. The aim is to make products last longer, easier to reuse, repair and recycle, and use fewer resources such as energy and water.

According to the information, there are exceptions for small companies, and a transition period of six years for medium-sized companies. In principle, the ban is to be applied two years after the regulation enters into force.

The details of the specific requirements for individual products have not yet been determined. The agreement states that the EU Commission can issue legally binding requirements to make goods such as furniture, tires, detergents, paints or chemicals more environmentally friendly. However, numerous raw materials such as iron, steel and aluminium are also to be regulated accordingly in the future. Exceptions are provided for cars or military products, for example.

The chairwoman of the Internal Market Committee in the EU Parliament, Anna Cavazzini (Greens), emphasized that there will also be a repair index in the future. This would allow consumers to see how easy it is to repair a product when making a purchase.

kig/dpa