The Price of Waste: Europe Bans the Destruction of Unsold Clothing.

ESPR is the acronym we will have to get used to if we talk about or deal with clothing, accessories, and footwear.

ESPR stands for the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (EU 2024/1781), introduced by Europe on June 28, 2024, following an initial proposal by the European Commission on March 22, 2022. It will come into force in all Member States on July 19 of this year because EU Regulations, unlike Directives, are directly applicable. It replaces and expands upon the previous 2009 directive (Ecodesign Directive 2009/125/EC).

What is the big news?

Large companies dealing with clothing, accessories, and footwear operating within the EU will no longer be allowed to freely destroy their unsold products.

Why did the Commission take this step?

Because waste in the sector has become staggering, with an increasingly unsustainable environmental and climate impact.

What leads to so much waste?

Unsold items kept off the market to protect brand value or manage excess inventory; rapid production cycles and high volumes of fast fashion that result in surplus stock; and the e-commerce boom, which has led to massive volumes of online returns being disposed of rather than put back on sale.

What figures are we talking about?

In Europe alone, an estimated 4% to 9% of textiles are unsold and destroyed before even being worn. In Germany and France, estimates suggest 20 million returned items and over 600 million euros worth of goods end up in landfills or incinerators.

What does the ESPR provide?

A ban on the destruction of clothing, which must instead be destined for recycling or circular practices, with very few exceptions; stricter requirements for durability, repairability, and recyclability; and the mandatory disclosure of unsold volumes and management methods through formal reporting.

The Timeline:

From July 19, large enterprises will be the first to adopt these measures. Reporting via a standard format must be introduced by February 2027. Medium-sized companies will have to comply starting in 2030. Small businesses are currently largely exempt, though I imagine specific steps will be introduced over time based on company types.

The goal:

The European Commission aims to force a cultural shift. By prioritizing circularity, the ESPR seeks to drastically reduce the waste of water, energy, raw materials, and human labor.