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Polish presidency of the EU Council announced breakthrough in early hours after marathon overnight talks on food waste reduction targets and measures to limit a throwaway clothing culture.
The EU has set its first ever legally binding targets for member states to cut food waste, with lawmakers agreeing on a 30% cut across retailers, restaurants, caterers and households by the end of the decade.For food processors and manufacturers, the 2030 goal is a 10% reduction, with both targets based on the average in the three years to 2023. EU estimates suggest that over 59 million tonnes of food is shovelled into dustbins every year, representing a loss of €132 billion.Reforms to the EU’s waste framework directive, agreed this morning after a marathon negotiating session behind closed doors between MEPs and government delegates, also target the textiles industry.New harmonised rules on extended producer responsibility (EPR) mean textile producers and fashion brands will have to pay a fee to help fund waste collection, sorting and recycling, based on how circular and sustainable their products are.In a measure directly targeting ‘fast fashion’ practices such as cheap, almost disposable clothes from online platforms, EU governments are also empowered to adapt these fees based on the durability of garments.“The rapidly growing e-commerce market brings many opportunities, but also represents a significant challenge, especially in terms of environmental protection,” the agreed text runs.The legislation gives leeway to penalise aggressive marketing strategies that encourage clothes to be discarded before they are worn out, practices that according to the legislation are “likely resulting in an overconsumption of textile products and, consequently, an overgeneration of waste”.Criteria that can be considered include the width of the product range offered by a retailer, and the provision or lack of a repair services and incentives.Anti-waste campaigners welcomed EU action, but were disappointed by the level of ambition reflected in the headline targets.“The EU and its member states committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals 10 years ago, including a 50% reduction of food waste across the entire supply chain,” said Theresa Mörsen, a policy officer at the Brussels-based NGO Zero Waste Europe.The group also criticised the lack of waste reduction measures at the production level, noting that EU statistics suggest some 11% of food is wasted before it leaves the farm.The action on textiles also left “room for improvement“, according to Mörsen. “We were hoping that member states would take inspiration from existing schemes in France and the Netherlands and underpin EPR with concrete targets to achieve circularity.”Polish MEP Anna Zalewska of the right-wing ECR group, who steered the legislation through the European Parliament, claimed credit for shielding farmers from the obligation to cut food waste.“We succeeded in ensuring feasible and realistic provisions for member states to implement food waste reduction policies and we managed to ensure that the agriculture sector will not be negatively impacted,” Zalewska said.The agreement is provisional, subject to a rubber stamp from government ministers at an EU Council summit – a procedure which is normally a formality.
