Photo by Ricky Singh on Unsplash (illustrative)
On 16 October 2025, a revised version of the European Union's Waste Framework Directive entered into force. For the first time it sets legally binding food-waste reduction targets for all 27 member states and requires clothing and footwear producers to pay for the collection and sorting of used textiles.
Key facts
By the end of 2030, food waste must fall by 10% in processing and manufacturing and by 30% per person in shops, restaurants and homes, compared with the 2021-2023 average.
Every EU country must set up an extended producer responsibility scheme for textiles and footwear within 30 months.
Producer fees will be adjusted by environmental performance, such as durability and recyclability.
The EU generated about 12.6 million tonnes of textile waste in 2019, and only about a fifth was collected separately for reuse or recycling.
Why it matters
Europeans still waste about 58 million tonnes of food a year, more than half of it at home. Binding targets and producer-funded textile collection give countries a legal reason, and a budget, to keep food and clothing out of the bin.
Worth noting
Member states have 20 months to write the rules into national law, so most measures will take effect from 2027 onwards. The final targets are lower than the 20% and 40% cuts the European Parliament had asked for in 2024.