The European Commission on July 5 announced proposed rules to make producers responsible for the full lifecycle of textile products, and to support the sustainable management of textile waste across the EU.

The Commission is proposing to introduce mandatory and harmonized Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes for textiles in all EU Member States. EPR schemes have been successful in improving the management of waste from several products, such as packaging, batteries and electric and electronic equipment.

Producers will be obliged to cover the costs of management of textile waste. The Commission hopes this will give clothing companies incentives to reduce waste and increase the circularity of textile products — designing better products from the start. How much producers will pay to the EPR scheme will be adjusted based on the environmental performance of textiles, a principle known as ‘eco-modulation'.

The rules will also make it easier for member states to implement the requirement to collect textiles separately from 2025, in line with current legislation.
The proposal also addresses the issue of illegal exports of textile waste to countries ill-equipped to manage it.

Currently, only 22% of the EU’s post-consumer textile waste is collected separately for re-use or recycling, while the remainder is often incinerated or sent to landfill.