This ban aims to change the existing market practice, where textile disposal is often more economically viable than recycling. As a result, millions of clothing items are sent to landfills in the EU each year. This is exacerbated by the growth of online shopping, where returns reach significant volumes, and it is easier for companies to dispose of them than to resell them.
According to the European Commission, about 10% of unsold goods, including shoes and clothing, are destroyed in the EU, and they are most often incinerated. This leads to emissions of approximately 5.6 million tons of carbon dioxide per year, which exceeds the emissions of the entire Sweden. In Germany, nearly 20 million returned items are disposed of annually just in the online retail sector, which negatively impacts the environment and climate.
Instead of continuing the usual disposal practices, the European Commission plans to encourage companies to manage their inventories more effectively, improve return processing, and consider alternative options such as resale, recycling, or charitable donation of clothing.
