Waste Framework Directive measures on textile and food waste adopted today by the European Parliament are encouraging but still leave space for improvement, according to environmental network Zero Waste Europe (ZWE).
While these newly adopted measures have the potential to drive circularity in the EU, the Parliament’s earlier, more progressive position was sidelined after the political shift of the last election, and Member States have blocked more ambitious measures during the negotiations.
The text introduces food waste reduction targets for 2030: while the reduction targets for retail, restaurants, food services, and households have been set at 30% per capita, the manufacturing and processing sectors only have to achieve 10% reduction. ZWE finds this outcome inappropriate given the reduction potential of the sector, especially considering that food waste mismanagement is a major source of methane, the second most powerful greenhouse gas driving climate change.
Europe’s Textile Waste Challenge
Theresa Mörsen, Waste and Resources Policy Manager at Zero Waste Europe, underlines: “In 2015, the EU and its Member States committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals 12.3, a 50% reduction of food waste across the entire supply chain. We now lack decisive action to introduce binding targets, while impacts on climate change, land, and water use become ever more challenging. EU-wide binding targets guarantee fairness among Member States and provide clear guidance for food businesses and investors in circular solutions for the years to come. This revision is, unfortunately, a missed opportunity to fully align the food sector with the EU climate goals.
“Textile waste represents another major waste challenge in the EU today. According to the revised law, Member States must introduce Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes for textiles by mid-2028. While EPR is a major milestone in holding textile producers accountable, the 30-month transposition period represents an unnecessary delay. Moreover, the WFD outcome today lacks crucial provisions, including concrete targets for collection, reuse, and recycling of textiles. While a review may introduce such targets later on, most collected textiles will likely continue to be incinerated in the meantime.
Zero Waste Europe calls for a more substantial review of EPR rules across the EU to suit the EU’s circular economy and climate targets as part of the Circular Economy Act announced for 2026.
Andrea Veselá, Textiles Officer at Zero Waste Europe, states: “It can sometimes be easy to overlook the impact of EU decisions for local communities; however, we see that municipalities, as well as sorters, already struggle to meet the separate collection obligation for textiles without further funding from EPR. The (ultra)fast fashion surge has resulted in an unmanageable amount of waste detrimental to not only local waste management and reuse efforts. ZWE recommends EU member states swiftly introduce EPR schemes that support prevention and best practices for waste collection, sorting, and local reuse.
“Member States should take inspiration from running schemes in France and the Netherlands and include concrete targets for circularity in their national schemes. Beyond circularity, fast fashion overconsumption should be on everyone’s radar, and we are glad to see that the text allows Member States to introduce fees based on producers’ business practices,” adds Mörsen.
