The Commission welcomes the provisional agreement reached last night between the European Parliament and the Council on the targeted revision of the Waste Framework Directive . The amended Waste Framework Directive will promote a circular economy throughout the EU, notably by fostering innovation and moving towards more sustainable industrial and consumer practices. This is a significant step forward in addressing textile and food waste, while reinforcing the EU's competitiveness.
Harmonised common rules
A key feature of the revised Directive is its common set of rules which will increase sustainability for businesses and consumers, and harmonise the single market for used and waste textiles.
Food waste reduction targets
Today's agreement addresses food waste, demonstrating Member States' commitment to fight food waste along production and supply chains, including households. The Directive will accelerate the EU's ambition to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal target 12.3 to halve per capita global food waste and reduce food losses along production and supply chains by 2030. To bolster this work, Member States shall reduce, by 2030, food waste by 10% in processing and manufacturing. They should also reduce food waste by 30% (per capita) jointly at retail and consumption, which includes restaurants, food services and households.
The Commission will support Member States in achieving the targets by sharing best practices and learning through the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste. It will also finance research and provide action grants.
Towards a reduction of textile waste
With the amended Waste Framework Directive, each Member State will set up its own Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme for textile and footwear products. Under such schemes, textile producers will contribute to the management of used and waste textiles. By being responsible for the end of lifetime of the products they sell, producers will be encouraged to design longer-lasting textile products that are easier to be reused, repaired and to recycle. This contribution will also foster investment in separate collection, sorting, reuse and recycling capacities. This will contribute to the creation of a circular economy for textiles.
The new rules tackle illegal textile waste exports. By clearly defining what constitutes "waste" versus "reusable" textiles, sorting will take place before used textiles are shipped. This measure complements the new, which ensures textile waste is only exported when it can be managed in an environmentally sustainable manner.
Next steps
The European Parliament and the Council will now formally have to adopt the revised Directive before it can enter into force.
It will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU. Member States will then need to transpose the Directive into national legislation within 20 months of the entry into force.
Background
In 2020, the EU generated 6.95 million tonnes of textile waste, corresponding to 16 kg per capita. Of this, only a total of 1.95 million tonnes of textile waste was separately collected. Without increased sorting and recycling in Europe, too much textile waste will end up being incinerated, landfilled, or disposed of.
Today, over 59 million tonnes of food waste are generated annually in the EU, resulting in 252 Mt of CO2 emissions across the food chain. Around 10% of all food supplied in our daily lives is wasted. In economic terms, it is estimated that the market loses €132 billion annually due to food waste. This figure includes lost resources for food business operators as well as unnecessary spending by households. In addition, the cost of collecting and treating food waste is estimated at an additional €9.3 billion.
On 5 July 2023, the Commission proposed a targeted revision of the waste framework directive , with a focus on food and textile waste. The Waste Framework Directive is the EU's legal framework for waste prevention and management in the EU. It sets the definitions related to waste management, including definitions of waste, recycling and recovery, the waste hierarchy and basic concepts.
The revision delivers on the Commission's commitment made in the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles to propose measures to harmonise Extended Producer Responsibility rules for textiles, and to develop economic incentives to make textile products more sustainable and circular.
