| Author (Corporate) | European Commission: DG Environment |
|---|---|
| Series Details | COM (2023) 420 |
| Publication Date | 05/07/2023 |
| Content Type | Policy-making |
Summary:Legislative initiative tabled by the European Commission on 5 July 2023, introducing amendments to Directive 2008/98/EC on waste, also known as the Waste Framework Directive (WFD). This is a text with EEA relevance. Further information:Despite waste prevention being a key objective of the Waste Framework Directive and the implementation efforts at national level, general waste generation continues to increase and only a 'relative decoupling' of waste generation from economic growth can be observed. Textile waste follows the same overall trend, and it is exacerbated by the so-called 'fast fashion'. Increasing textile consumption leads to increasing volumes of textile waste. Despite the separate collection obligation for textiles within the WFD from 2025, it is estimated that Member States won't be ready to handle the expected amounts to be collected. The textile sector is resource intensive, and waste management costs of used clothing and household textiles are not internalised in the price of new products. Reality across the European Union (EU) is also affected by fragmented definitions, different policy and regulatory signals, information gaps, complexity in recycling textiles due to different compositions of textile waste. As regards food waste, it is one of the largest sources of inefficiency in the agri-food chain. The EU implemented a dedicated Action Plan to reduce food loss and waste, initially as part of the 2015 Circular Economy Action Plan and, since 2020, under the Farm to Fork (F2F) Strategy. The WFD - as revised in 2018 - requires Member States to prepare specific food waste prevention programmes. In 2019, the European Commission adopted a common food waste measurement methodology. Under the EU Code of Conduct for responsible Food Business and Marketing Practices, stakeholders made commitments on food waste reduction in their operations and along the supply chain. Despite all action and existing legal obligations, food waste generation has not decreased sufficiently to date. The European Green Deal published in 2019 and the Circular Economy Action Plan published in 2020 called for reinforced and accelerated action to ensure environmental sustainability of the textiles and food sectors. This draft law introduces amendments to the WFD focusing on those two sectors to reduce their environmental and climate impacts. On textile waste, the proposed Directive seeks to make producers responsible for the full lifecycle of textile products and to support the sustainable management of textile waste across the EU. In particular, it introduces mandatory and harmonised Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes for textiles in all EU Member States. On food waste, the Commission proposes the introduction of legally binding food waste reduction targets to be achieved by Member States by 2030. The draft law was adopted by the European Commission on 5 July 2023, as part of a legislative package focusing on the sustainable use of key natural resources. |
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| Source Link | https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=COM:2023:420:FIN |
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| Subject Categories | Environment, Internal Markets |
| Subject Tags | Food | Drinks, Sustainable Development, Textiles, Waste |
| Keywords | Circular Economy |
| International Organisations | European Union [EU] |
