Stricter rules proposed for European footwear waste

Businesses that make footwear available on the EU market would cover the costs for their separate collection, sorting and recycling.

The European Parliament’s Environment Committee has recommended an increase in waste reduction targets from manufacturing sectors. These would rise from the current 10 per cent to at least 20 per cent, in comparison to the annual average generated between 2020 and 2022. All countries within the European Union would need to ensure that these targets are achieved at a national level by the last day of 2030.

The new rules would establish extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes, through which businesses that make textiles available on the EU market would cover the costs for their separate collection, sorting and recycling. Member states would have to establish these schemes 18 months after the entry into force of the directive. According to the European Parliament, a parallel ruling would require EU countries to ensure the separate collection of textiles for re-use, preparing for re-use and recycling by 1st January 2025.

This legislation would cover footwear, clothing, blankets, bed linen, curtains, hats, mattresses and carpets, and include products containing leather, rubber or plastic. A vote on these proposals is scheduled for the March 2024 plenary session of the European Parliament.

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 2 of the February 2024 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

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