The negotiation teams of the European Parliament and the Council of the EU concluded their trilogue negotiations on the new EU Ecodesign Regulation at the beginning of this week. Among the provisions included in the compromise is a prohibition on the destruction of unsold textiles and footwear products. The ban will go into effect for large companies two years after the Regulation enters into force. Medium-sized enterprises will have a transition period of six years and small businesses are exempted.
Over time, similar bans could be applied other sectors if necessary, the EU Commission reported on Tuesday. The compromise text would also require large companies to annually disclose how many unsold consumer products they discard and why. "This is expected to strongly disincentivise businesses from engaging in this practice," the Commission said.
Environmental organisations had also called for a ban on destroying unsold electric or electronic equipment. The European Parliament's Environment Committee had also sought a prohibition on the destruction of unsold EEE, but the full Parliament had backed an impact assessment rather than a direct ban....
