As a major advancement for the circular economy and textile waste management, EuRIC applauds the European Parliament and Council’s provisional agreement on the targeted amendment of the Waste Frame Directive (WFD).
Nonetheless, immediate assistance is still needed to resolve the extraordinary crisis that the EU’s textile and recycling industry is currently facing.
A level playing field for all textile manufacturers is ensured by the revised directive’s mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for textiles across all EU member states. This holds producers accountable for their products throughout their lifecycle, regardless of location or e-commerce.
Given the current crisis in the post-consumer textile sector and the urgent need for support to avert additional disruption, EuRIC regrets the 30-month implementation schedule even if it firmly supports this initiative.
In order to ensure social economy enterprises’ fair and transparent involvement in EPR schemes, EuRIC applauded the addition of reporting requirements.
Another crucial step in addressing textile waste and making sure that the cost of ultra-fast fashion represents the harm it causes to the environment is the clause that permits member states to eco-modulate EPR costs based on extrinsic product durability, according to EuRIC.
The European Commission’s pledge to assess the program’s efficacy and establish specific goals by 2029 will also propel advancements in textile waste management, it continued.
