The European Parliament and Council have reached provisional agreement on the targeted revision of the Waste Framework Directive. The Directive aims to promote a circular economy throughout the EU, notably by fostering innovation and moving towards more sustainable industrial and consumer practices.
Among other things, the amendments to the Directive looks to halve global food waste by 2030, requiring Member States to cut waste by 10% in processing and manufacturing and 30% at retail and consumption levels.
The amendments to the Directive also includes a common set of rules aimed at standardising the single market for used and waste textiles. Under the amended Waste Framework Directive, each Member State will establish its own Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme for textiles and footwear. Producers will contribute to the management of used textiles, promoting the design of longer-lasting products that are easier to reuse, repair, and recycle. This will also boost investment in collection, sorting, reuse, and recycling facilities. The new rules address illegal textile waste exports by defining "waste" and "reusable" textiles, requiring sorting of textiles before shipping. This is to ensure that any exported textile waste can be sustainably managed.
Next steps
The European Parliament and the Council are required to formally adopt the revised Directive before it can take effect. The Directive will become effective 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU. Member States will then have 20 months from the entry into force to incorporate the Directive into national legislation.
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