The EU legislators: On Tuesday, a law on the environmental impact of so-called FASTHION and to reduce food waste in Europe finally passed on Tuesday.
Brussels estimates that around 15 kilograms of textile waste and 130 kilograms of food waste are incurred in the 27 Member States per person and year. By containing food waste, the EU wants to lower the consumption of water, fertilizers and energy. These are used for the manufacture, processing and storage of foods that are ultimately thrown away. The same logic applies to textiles. According to the EU, 2,700 liters of fresh water are required to produce a single cotton-T shirt; The amount that a person drinks on average in two and a half years.
New obligations for the industry
The legislators: Inside, the text previously negotiated with the Member States approved without changes. The new law updates an EU directive on waste from 2008 and extends its area of application to the textile industry. It creates new obligations for the industry. The manufacturers: Inside, the cost of collecting, sorting and recycling clothes and carpets to mattresses must bear.
According to the EU, less than one percent of textiles are recycled worldwide. Every year, 12.6 million tons of textile waste are generated in the EU. Legislators: Inside, hope that the law can counteract the effects of ultra-low-cost fashion imports. Many of them come from China and are sold via platforms such as Shein, which Brussels also examined due to risks in connection with illegal products.
“Ultra-Fast-Fashion creates mountains of textile waste,” said French MP Laurent Castillo after the law was adopted. He added that the phenomenon “endangered French and European companies and is extremely environmentally harmful”.
The EU has taken separate measures to limit the massive influx of small packages, which is heated by the fast-fashion boom. It proposes a flat -rate import fee of two euros per package. Last year, 4.6 billion small packages came to the EU, more than 145 per second, 91 percent of them from China.
This article was used with digital tools translated.
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