EU ban on destruction of unsold clothes and shoes enters into application

https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/ban-destruction-unsold-clothes-and-shoes-enters-application-2026-07-17_en

53•robtherobber•1h ago

Comments

cassianoleal•49m ago

How long until they start shipping those abroad where they will become toxic bonfires?

wolvoleo•43m ago

That can be penalised too.

We really have to get away from the idea that curtailing intentional industrial waste production is futile. Perhaps in American style capitalism it is because the system is rigged and the biggest money bag always wins. But we don't want this here at all.

We have to get forward as humanity and treat our planet with respect. Otherwise we won't have one worth living on. Making money isn't the only thing that counts.

graemep•33m ago

I agree we should, but that does not mean that a particular regulation is the right way to do it. Its very hard to close loopholes and exploitation of exemptions.

ChrisLTD•30m ago

You have to start somewhere, no? We have laws against stealing and murder and folks don’t usually go around saying they should be removed from the books because some people still steal and commit murder.

graemep•15m ago

Yes, but those laws are pretty effective. They do deter murderers and thieves, and take them out of society so they cannot repeat their offences.

Ill thought out regulations can make things worse - I am convinced this is the case for the UK's Online Safety Act, for example. That (and the proposed ban on social media for under 16s) is also promoted on "we must do something" grounds.

I am very much in favour of some proposed changes under the law - e.g. improving repairability and reusability of some product categories.

I have doubts that some discouragement of destruction of new products fixes the big underlying problem with clothing: the production of cheap junk not designed to last. Under these regulations (at least as summarised in the article), they offer it to charity, charity rejects it, then they are free to destroy it.

sorokod•29m ago

Naming and shaming is a reasonable first step.

amelius•21m ago

We need judges that don't just look at the letter of the law. We can already use computers for that.

wiz21c•43m ago

At least they're trying.

Hackbraten•31m ago

That loophole has become very difficult:

https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/waste-and-recycling/...

xnx•30m ago

Is this a problem in the EU? I often think in terms of home remodels that a family might do at least once. Those can easily fill a dumpster with tons of garbage. That's much more waste than a family could ever generate directly or indirectly in clothing.

embedding-shape•26m ago

> I often think in terms of home remodels that a family might do at least once

Very interesting point of view, as someone who never done a home remodel, it surely brought a new perspective for me.

> That's much more waste than a family could ever generate directly or indirectly in clothing.

I'm not sure, if you have two kids who are into trendy clothing and you're able to let them make choices around clothing, then I can imagine that there is quite high turnover on those things.

Besides, the proposed rules seems to try to address waste generated by businesses rather than individuals or families. I guess currently they throw outdated clothing in order to make space for the new clothing lines?

pcdevils•24m ago

It's companies dumping unsold ranges of clothes as new ranges come in. Not people.

ascorbic•24m ago

This is about businesses, not families.

Stromgren•21m ago

My dad worked at a logistics facility, the amount of perfume he took home was ridiculous - and you’d think that something like perfume would never go stale. It does from a brand perspective and they do everything they can to have it destroyed so it doesn’t end up being sold to prices that would hurt the perceptive value. Obviously he wasn’t allowed to take it either.

amazingamazing•28m ago

Why would this ever happen? Is it cheaper to destroy than sell at discount?

thaumasiotes•26m ago

> Is it cheaper to destroy than sell at discount?

Yes.

ascorbic•25m ago

Yes, clothing companies and stores will very commonly destroy clothes if they determine that selling at a discount would undermine the brand value. They do things like cutting holes in the soles of shoes before discarding them.

thrance•22m ago

> The works of the roots of the vines, of the trees, must be destroyed to keep up the price, and this is the saddest, bitterest thing of all. Carloads of oranges dumped on the ground. The people came for miles to take the fruit, but this could not be. How would they buy oranges at twenty cents a dozen if they could drive out and pick them up? And men with hoses squirt kerosene on the oranges, and they are angry at the crime, angry at the people who have come to take the fruit. A million people hungry, needing the fruit- and kerosene sprayed over the golden mountains. And the smell of rot fills the country. Burn coffee for fuel in the ships. Burn corn to keep warm, it makes a hot fire. Dump potatoes in the rivers and place guards along the banks to keep the hungry people from fishing them out. Slaughter the pigs and bury them, and let the putrescence drip down into the earth.

John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath

embedding-shape•24m ago

Some stuff you basically have to give away for people to buy, some stuff just isn't so attractive to most people. With limited store space, you could miss out on profits if you don't update what you have available. Every item you carry is another item you cannot fit to carry.

tancop•15m ago

some places already do this for food where anything thats after sell by date but still safe to eat has to be donated to a food bank.

i think it should be expanded to cover more categories than food and clothes when reuse and recycling infra grows to take the demand. its not just good for the environment it also prevents producers from restricting supply to keep their profits high.

the ultimate goal is make it illegal to destroy or intentionally damage anything usable before it reaches consumers. that would create a new ecosystem of discount stores and giveaway centers, and save everyone a ton of money.

Saline9515•13m ago

It looks like a great opportunity for mafia networks to get paid by clothing brands in order to dispose of the stocks.

iammjm•11m ago

Great! “Fashion” is capitalism’s toxic way of having people discard perfectly good clothes and buy new ones every 12 months. It’s stupid, wasteful, and disgusting

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