Nearly 60 million tonnes of food waste and 12.6 million tonnes of textile waste are generated in the EU every year.
A new agreement has been reached on the targeted revision of the Waste Framework Directive, setting EU targets for food waste reduction by 2030 and measures towards a more responsible and less waste-producing textile sector.
Reloop’s CEO Clarissa Morawski joined Barry Snedden to discuss the developments.
Food Waste
The agreement sets targets on food waste by 2030:
- reduction by 10% in processing and manufacturing waste compared to the average amount of food waste generated in these sectors in 2021-2023
- reduction by 30% per capita in waste from retail, restaurants, food services and households compared to the average amount of food waste generated in these sectors in 2021-2023
Waste textile
The agreement establishes harmonised rules on the extended producer responsibility of textile producers and fashion brands: they will be made responsible for their waste and will be required to pay a fee to help fund waste collection and treatment, which will be dependent on how circular their product is.
Next steps
The provisional agreement will now have to be endorsed by the Council and the Parliament. Once formally adopted, EU member states will have up to 20 months to update their national laws to follow the new rules.