Today's Edition
BRUSSELS (AGENCIES)
The European Parliament on Tuesday adopted legislation to prevent and reduce waste from food and textiles across the EU.
The law sets binding targets for 2030, requiring member states to reduce food waste by 10% in processing and manufacturing, and by 30% per capita at retail and consumption levels, including restaurants, food services and households. It also introduces producer responsibility schemes for the collection, sorting and recycling of textile waste.
According to EU estimates, almost 60 million tonnes of food waste (132 kg per person) and 12.6 million tonnes of textile waste are generated in the EU. Clothing and footwear alone account for 5.2 million tonnes of waste, equivalent to 12 kg of waste per person every year.
It is estimated that less than 1% of all textiles worldwide are recycled into new products.
