In the European Union, large companies will no longer be able to destroy unsold clothes and shoes. The new rules came into effect on July 19 under the EU Ecodesign Regulation (ESPR).
According to the EU directive, as of July 19, large companies will not be able to destroy unsold or returned clothing and shoes. Instead, products should be reused, donated to charity, or recycled. The goal is to ensure that products stay in circulation longer and do not end up in landfills prematurely
The legislative move is designed to reduce the textile industry’s environmental impact, as up to 9% of unsold goods are currently destroyed, generating millions of tons of CO₂ emissions annually. Until now, millions of things were simply burned. This leads to the emission of about 5.6 million tons of carbon dioxide per year – more than, for example, the combined emissions of all of Sweden. In online trade in Germany alone, almost 20 million returned goods are disposed of every year. This negatively impacts the environment and climate.
Millions of such products end up in EU landfills every year. According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), up to 600,000 tons of new textiles end up in European landfills every year. This wastes resources and causes enormous damage to the environment and climate.
The new rules are part of a wider strategy to make many products in the EU more durable, repairable and reusable, thereby reducing CO₂ emissions throughout the product’s life cycle.
The ESPR is valid from summer 2024; however, the ban on the destruction of textiles now comes into force for large companies. For medium-sized enterprises, longer transition periods are provided – until 2030.
At the same time, this prohibition is not absolutely unambiguous. The regulation provides exceptions, for example, when products cannot be reused for safety reasons or when reuse is technically impractical.