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On 9 September 2025, the European Parliament approved landmark rules revising the EU’s Waste Framework Directive, introducing binding measures to reduce both food and textile waste with a substantial impact for the fashion industry which will now face stricter accountability for the environmental impact of its products.
Extended Producer Responsibility: Rules That Reshape Fashion
At the heart of the new rules is a mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system for textiles. Within 30 months of the directive entering into force, each EU member state must establish schemes requiring producers to cover the costs of collecting, sorting, and recycling the fashion items they place on the market.
The scope of these obligations is broad: clothing, footwear, accessories, hats, blankets, bed and kitchen linens, and curtains all fall under the new framework. Importantly, the rules extend beyond Europe. Non-EU producers selling into the single market through e-commerce platforms will also be subject to these requirements. This ensures that online fast-fashion giants will face the same sustainability obligations as European brands.
Micro-enterprises will benefit from an additional year to comply, but no blanket exemptions are foreseen. The legislation also leaves room for EU countries to establish similar schemes for other high-waste categories.
Confronting Fast Fashion and Ultra-Fast Fashion
The directive directly tackles the business models of fast and ultra-fast fashion. Member states will be able to adjust producers’ financial contributions according to the environmental footprint of their products. In practice, this means higher fees for short-lived, low-quality garments that generate more waste, while rewarding companies that invest in durability, repairability, and circular design.
This shift is driven by growing political and consumer pressure. Every year, around 12.6 million tonnes of textile waste are generated in the EU, including 5.2 million tonnes of clothing and footwear – roughly 12 kilograms per person. Globally, less than 1% of textiles are recycled into new products.
By transferring the costs of textile waste management from taxpayers to producers, EU lawmakers hope to incentivize longer product lifespans and discourage disposable business models. These new rules send a clear message: sustainability in the fashion industry is no longer optional.
Food Waste: Binding Reduction Targets
The revision of the Waste Framework Directive is not limited to textiles. It also introduces binding food waste reduction targets, to be achieved by 31 December 2030:
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10% reduction from food processing and manufacturing;
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30% per capita reduction from retail, restaurants, food services, and households.
These targets will be calculated against the 2021–2023 average, creating a reliable baseline. In addition, EU countries must now require businesses with a significant role in the food supply chain to facilitate the donation of unsold, safe-to-eat food. The objective is clear: prevent edible goods from becoming waste.
With nearly 60 million tonnes of food waste generated annually across the Union – around 132 kilograms per person – the urgency of action is evident.
Background and Legislative Path
The European Commission first proposed these reforms in July 2023, as part of its strategy to reduce the bloc’s overall waste footprint. Annual figures speak for themselves:
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60 million tonnes of food waste;
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12.6 million tonnes of textile waste.
Following negotiations with the Council earlier this year, the European Parliament’s second reading on 9 September 2025 confirmed the final text. With the vote complete, the act is formally adopted and will soon be signed by both co-legislators before publication in the EU’s Official Journal.
Next Steps and Impact on Fashion
Member states will have 20 months to transpose the directive into national law. For the fashion industry, this reform is more than just another set of compliance obligations: it is the beginning of a structural shift.
Brands that previously externalized the environmental costs of their products must now integrate waste management directly into their business models. The success of this legislation will depend on how effectively national authorities design and enforce EPR schemes. A critical question remains: will the rules be strong enough to steer ultra-fast fashion toward circularity and sustainability?
What is certain is that the EU has set a precedent. By aligning rules on food and textile waste, Europe is sending a strong signal to industries worldwide: sustainability is not just encouraged, it is required.
On a similar topic, you can read the article “The Future of Fashion: Exploring the creativity of collections generated by artificial intelligence and its legal issues“.