The EU Council presidency and European Parliament representatives reached a provisional agreement on the targeted revision of the waste framework directive, setting EU targets for food waste reduction by 2030 and measures towards a more sustainable and less waste-producing textile sector.

The agreement still needs to be confirmed by both institutions before going through the formal adoption procedure.

Less food waste by 2030

The two co-legislators agreed on 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

Those targets are the first-ever to be established at EU level. The agreement also provides for the voluntary donation of unsold food that is safe for human consumption as an important aspect of reducing food waste.

New rules on waste textile

The provisional 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 and sustainable the design of their product is.

Co-legislators agreed to address overgeneration of waste textile and ultra-fast and fast fashion practices, to prevent discarding of textile products before they reach their potential lifetime. Member states may adapt fees paid by producers according to the length of use of textile products and their durability.

The provisional agreement provides for a level playing field, including all companies in the scope of extended producer responsibility schemes. Under this harmonised framework, all companies, including smaller ones, would have access to necessary resources and infrastructure for proper waste textile treatment.

To reduce administrative burden, microenterprises will have one additional year to comply with these obligations after the extended producer responsibility schemes are established (in total, 3.5 years after the entry into force of the new rules).

The provisional agreement was reached by the Council’s Presidency and the representatives of the European Parliament, based on mandates from their respective institutions. The provisional agreement will now have to be endorsed by the Council and the Parliament before undergoing legal linguistic revision. Once formally adopted, EU member states will have up to 20 months to update their national laws to follow the new rules.

The Commission will be tasked with reviewing and assessing several aspects of the waste framework directive. Those include the financing of the extended producer responsibility schemes and possible targets concerning waste textile (by 2029) as well as the role of primary production in food waste, the impact of changes in production levels and possible updated targets on food waste reduction for 2030 and 2035 (by 2027).