Apparel brands have come together with the Policy Hub – Circularity for Apparel & Footwear and Eunomia Research & Consulting to research and publish a set of principles for an effective waste management system to tackle pollution and facilitate the transition to a circular economy for textiles within the European Union. How waste management schemes will be operationalized and harmonized throughout the EU Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) – an environmental policy that makes producers responsible for the entire life cycle of the products they introduce on the market – is a fundamental component of textile waste management.
A new industry-funded report produced by London-based Eunomia, a consulting firm specializing in circular economy, looks specifically at the role of EPR in this transition. The recommendations in the report draw on expertise from various stakeholders across the textile value chain, said Eunomia. Key recommendations include:
- Creating a consistent definition of the “obligated producer” and providing better guidance so industry actors will more easily understand their responsibilities, enforcement will be more transparent and administrative burdens will be reduced.
- Clarifying which textiles are in the scope of EPR, both at the commencement of the scheme and in the future, to address the potential for significant variation.
- Suggesting key principles for reporting systems to accurately calculate and allocate fees, striking a balance between compliance and overburdening producers.
- Ensuring robust data security to establish trust with the EPR system, reassuring stakeholders on the confidentiality and use of data only for designated purposes.
Ultimately, across all the areas considered, the recommendations for harmonizing key elements should serve to amplify the positive environmental impacts sought by the EU Textiles Strategy and the sector more broadly.
All Policy Hub members have endorsed the report, including the steering group of Adidas, Bestseller, C&A, H&M Group, Inditex and VF Corp. The report is available for free at eunomia.co.uk.
