Textiles EPR agreed across Europe
Unsplash image of British and EU flags
Some really good news. The European Parliament and European Commission have published a provisional agreement on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for textiles, which sets out requirements for businesses and a clear timetable. It’s good news because the legislation will provide some real incentives for businesses to grapple with one of the world’s largest polluting industry sectors, responsible for around 10% of global carbon emissions and 20% of global water waste.
The even better news is that Stuff4Life is ready to go, being fully aligned with these regulations, having built its business offer around delivering solutions. The not-so-good-but-it’s-not-too-late-to-do-something-about-it news is that the UK is still lagging behind with no clear timetable.
If the UK is to grasp the opportunity to adopt a leadership position through supporting home-grown innovation by utilising the world-leading technology and business systems, the time is now.
Here’s our take on Europe’s final countdown to Textiles EPR:
Cost responsibility: producers must cover the costs for the collection, sorting, and recycling of textiles they place on the market. This includes clothing, accessories, footwear, blankets, bed and kitchen linen, curtains, and hats.
Stuff4Life’s response: this is great, similar to other EPRs including the UK’s packaging EPR. Expanding the scope from clothing to a wider range of textiles is strongly supported.
Design requirements: businesses are encouraged to design products that are durable, repairable, and recyclable. This includes setting design requirements for textiles to make them last longer and be easier to repair and recycle.
Stuff4Life’s response: our experience in influencing the design of award winning next-generation clothing to improve durability, repairability, rebranding, recyclability and then servitising these aspects is at the core of our offer.
Transparency and information: the introduction of a Digital Product Passport will provide clearer information about textile products, helping consumers make informed choices.
Stuff4Life’s response: this can’t come soon enough, but we mustn’t forget all the textiles that are already ‘in flight’ and in use, which will emerge from household wardrobes and businesses’ storage cupboards over the next few years – it’s essential that legacy items are managed and it’s why we’ve developed our recycling process to be flexible enough to manage legacy items.
Financial contributions: producers will be required to pay fees under EPR schemes. These fees will be used to support the management of textile waste and incentivise sustainable practices, with charges adjusted based on product sustainability and circularity.
Stuff4Life’s response: we fully support a modulated fee style mechanism which rewards and supports sustainable and circular products through lower fees, with higher fees placed on more damaging products that are less durable and/or harder to recycle. It’s just common sense.
Micro-enterprises compliance: micro-enterprises will have an extended timeline to comply with the EPR requirements, giving them an additional 12 months compared to larger businesses.
Stuff4Life’s response: this is also a common sense proposal, but still ensures implementation in a reasonable period of time. It also circumnavigates the issue of micro-sellers on very large digital platforms getting away with lower environmental standards for products made overseas. This remains a major issue in areas such as electrical products containing batteries, which must also be addressed.
Addressing fast fashion: Member States are encouraged to address ultra-fast fashion and fast fashion practices when setting out the financial contributions to the EPR schemes.
Stuff4Life’s response: another common sense, must do thing, tackling one of the biggest impacts from the stuff people use – convenience needs a conscience, and modulated fees should tackle this. Cost .v. Value - it’s time to reset the balance.
These measures aim to create a more sustainable and circular textiles sector, reducing the environmental impact of textile production and consumption. They would apply to all producers trading in the EU, whether they are based inside or outside of the EU, nd include e-commerce platforms.
Member States have 30 months to implement the rules, and up to 42 months for micro-enterprises.
So it’s time for the UK to step up… LET’S GO!
For more information, please contact us