Large companies in the European Union will no longer be allowed to destroy unsold clothing and shoes, under rules that took effect on Sunday, reported dpa.
The EU regulation requires the affected companies to resell or donate their goods rather than dispose of them. Destruction is sometimes considered cheaper than storing, refurbishing or re-offering products for sale.
Exceptions apply in cases where goods are dangerous, damaged or contaminated, or cannot be reused or refurbished. Items that have been offered as donations to several EU-based social organizations but not accepted within a set period may also be destroyed.
The new rules will later be extended to companies. They form part of the EU Ecodesign Regulation, which came into effect in July 2024.
The German Retail Federation (HDE) said the ban could benefit consumers, by increasing the supply of discounted goods through outlets, clearance markets and second-hand channels.
Managing director Stefan Genth also sees potential environmental benefits, "as less near-new clothing is destroyed and products are more frequently resold or donated."
Gent accepted that retailers would face challenges. "Not all unsold goods can be resold or donated easily," he said. The reasons for this could include damaged packaging, high logistics costs, lack of demand or low product values.
Retailers would face additional costs for storage, sorting, refurbishment and remarketing, as well as documentation requirements, legal uncertainties and practical hurdles around donations and second-hand sales, he said.
Ultra-fast fashion challenge
The GermanFashion apparel association welcomed the new regulation. "Clothing is a valuable product whose destruction should be avoided," said managing director Thomas Lange. He said the destruction ban sent an important signal for more responsible use of resources.
The regulation will have little impact on most European clothing companies, as unsold goods are not normally destroyed. The real challenge lies with the large volumes of cheap ultra-fast fashion products that consumers order directly from non-European suppliers, Lange said.
He called for these companies to be required to contribute in the same way as European manufacturers to the costs of collecting, sorting and recycling used textiles.
The Confederation of the German Textile and Fashion Industry criticized the law for being out of touch with reality, burdening the domestic industry with red tape and failing to address the problems of fast fashion.
More effective collection, sorting and recycling structures are needed for greater sustainability, said industry expert Jonas Stracke. Without this, he charged, the destruction ban would remain a paper tiger. "In practice, it unfortunately makes no real contribution to the circular economy," he said.
Environmentalists seek enforcement
Environmental organizations have raised similar concerns. Moritz Jäger-Roschko of Greenpeace described the ban as correct in principle but said it contained loopholes.
"Companies can easily circumvent the rules, for example by misdeclaring products. Without consistent enforcement, nothing will change in practice," he said. The underlying problem – fast fashion – remained untouched by the law.
The WWF described the destruction ban as an important first step, but likewise said a law is only ever as good as its enforcement. "It will only be effective when the requirements are consistently monitored and enforced by the competent authorities," said Silke Düwel-Rieth of the environmental organization.
According to the European Commission, between 4% and 9% of unsold textiles in Europe are destroyed each year without ever being worn, generating around 5.6 million tons of CO2 emissions.
(By Katharina Redanz and Christian Rothenberg)
- EU
- Companies
- No longer destroy
- Unsold fashion
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
