Europe wants to implement mandatory targets to throw away less food and reuse more clothing

These two proposals will need to be negotiated with the European Parliament and Member States. Close final regulations before Eurochamber electionsIt will take place in June 2024.

food waste

The numbers are as colossal as they are terrifying. 59 million tons of food is thrown away every year in the EUequivalent to 131 kilos per capita and represents 10% of total food production. At the same time, according to European Commission data, 36 million people cannot afford a quality menu halfway through the day.

All food that goes to waste has a climate impact, as it represents 16% of greenhouse gas emissions produced by the EU food system and It also means a waste of resources in the form of water or energy, which have a major environmental impact.

For this reason The Community Manager wishes to correct this fact by setting legally binding targets for countries.

Special, By 2030, Brussels demands Member States to reduce food waste by 30% per capita in supermarkets, restaurants and homes. Efe reported that in 2027, with the review article, it took another 10% share in the field of production and processing.

While these goals are inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which envision reducing global food waste by 50% by the end of this decade, which will require a change in consumer behavior.

Brussels offers an exchange of guidelines, advice and good practice, but also invites capital to develop prevention strategies to prevent food waste, as is already the case in the Netherlands, France and Germany, and proposes that these include legal measures and tax incentives.

Stop wasting clothes

The second pillar of the proposal focuses on greening the textile sectorHe said at a conference organized by the European Union that it is the fourth-highest environmental and climate-affected sector after food, shelter and mobility, with the aim of “promoting reuse and recycling investments” and ensuring “the polluter pays principle”. Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius.

Right now, 78% of fabrics used in the European Union are not separated, reused or recycled, but ends up in landfills or incinerators. And every year 5.2 million tons of clothing and shoes are thrown away in the EU. 12 kilos per person.

Despite the fact that EU Member States will have to carry out separate collections for textile waste as of 1 January 2025, the Commission now seeks to deepen this path and proposes a mandatory and harmonized ‘Extended Producer Responsibility’ for all textiles in all Member States. States.

These schemes are already used in packaging or other products such as electronic batteries.and it means that producers will have to cover the cost of waste management; this will create incentives for them to reduce waste and increase circularity by designing products that focus on end-of-life reuse and recycling from the start.

To determine how much they will have to pay, a Classification adjusted according to the environmental performance of the fabric under the principle of “eco-modulation”.

this fee it can cost around 12 euro cents for a t-shirtfor example, although “the proposal determines the legal framework, not the level of contribution”.

Brussels, which will also ban the sending of discarded fabrics to third countries without equivalent environmental regulations, hopes this system will encourage research and innovation in textile materials within an ambitious ecological agenda for this sector. “It will create opportunities Cost savings for citizens who prefer timeless, classic fashion to fast fashionsaid Sinkevicius.

green fabrics

EU in March 2022 sustainable strategy for textiles, the start of a series of regulations trying to align the industry with the legal obligation to reduce CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.

This roadmap is the most symbolic of them all, The Ecodesign Directive, designed for all sectors but with special emphasis on textiles.l has been identified as a priority by the public.

The Ecodesign Directive currently in negotiations in the Council and the European Parliament Wants products to be designed with circularity in mindthat is, they are durable, repairable, safe and recyclable, and prohibit the destruction of unsold textiles and clothing.

In addition, the European Commission in March Proposal to end “Ecopostureo” confusing or mislabeling, and the Administrator is expected to publicly announce an initiative in the coming weeks to limit the release of microplastics into the environment over the entire lifecycle of products.

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Contact address of the environment department: crizclimatica@prensaiberica.es