EPR textiles
The growing production of textile waste can be attributed to what is known as ‘fast fashion’. This phenomenon is characterised by the marketing of more frequent fashion collections, offering products at low prices which encourage impulse buying and result in the accumulation of clothing. This over-consumption of textiles leads to an increase in textile waste.
About 38% of post-consumer textile waste, including clothing, footwear, home textiles and technical textiles, is not collected selectively. As a result, it ends up in mixed household waste, bound for incineration or landfill. This inefficient waste management does not respect the waste hierarchy and harms the environment, both in the EU and in third countries, through high greenhouse gas emissions, excessive water consumption, pollution and land use.
Study on the development and implementation of an extended producer responsibility system for textiles.
The proposed amendment to the Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC is intended to remedy this situation. It requires textiles to be collected separately from 1 January 2025. It also requires Member States to set up an extended producer responsibility system within 2.5 years of its entry into force.
As part of the revision of the Waste Framework Directive, the federations Comeos, Fedustria and Creamoda wish to prepare themselves and their members for the forthcoming legislation on the extended producer responsibility. They have commissioned Recydata to carry out a preliminary study on what a collective management organisation for textiles (clothing, footwear and household linen) should look like. Throughout 2024, a comprehensive process will be put in place to finalise the outline of a management organisation.