The governments of the EU countries agreed on Monday to ban the destruction of unused clothes. After online shopping for clothes has taken off, the proportion of unused clothes that are destroyed has increased sharply. The governments have decided that the ban will take effect immediately, writes Reuters. This applies even if it is part of a larger package about more sustainable production. A man dyes clothes – with bare feet – at a garment factory in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka. Photo: AFP Discards 11 kilograms per person The clothing industry accounts for around 10 per cent of the world’s total CO₂ emissions. Accounts for large emissions The World Bank has taken a closer look at how the clothing industry contributes to destroying the climate: The clothing industry accounts for around 10 per cent of the world’s total CO₂ emissions. It is more than air and shipping combined. Every year, the clothing industry consumes 93 billion cubic meters of water. This corresponds to the water consumption of 5 million people. Around 20 percent of the world’s sewage comes from dyeing and treating clothes. A truckload of clothing is burned or thrown away every second. 87 percent of the fibers used for clothing end up being burned or ending up in a landfill. If nothing is done, emissions from the clothing industry will increase by 50 percent until 2030. A UN report in 2019 showed that the world’s clothing production doubled between the years 2000 and 2014. Making a pair of jeans requires 7,500 liters of water, which corresponds to an emission of around 70 kilograms of CO₂. In Europe, the use of clothing has the fourth highest climate and environmental footprint. Only food, housing and travel have a larger footprint. Each year, around 5.8 million tonnes of clothes are discarded in the EU. This amounts to 11 kilograms of clothing per inhabitant. Also applies to Norway Two Britons in specially made clothes for the coronation earlier in May. It is unclear to what extent the clothes will be reused. Photo: Reuters The decision is part of the EU’s Ecodesign directive. Norway is also covered by the directive. – This means that there are businesses in Norway today that have to change their practices, says Bakken Riise in Framtiden i våre hender (FIVH). When the new directive is fully negotiated within the EU, it is also expected to include a ban on destroying unused electronic gadgets. The plan is also to create what is called a “digital product passport”. It should show a product’s sustainability, so that it becomes easier for consumers to choose environmentally friendly. Unclear how big the problem is The new regulations require the clothing chain to report openly on surplus goods and what they do with them. – It is high time, says Riise. Together with the Consumer Ombudsman, FIVH tried to map the overproduction of clothing chains in Norway. She says that it was very difficult to get information from the chains. According to Riise, the chains have kept hidden how much they have left and what they do with it. – It is difficult to get an overview of how big this problem is when the clothing chains can operate with as much secrecy as they have been able to, she says. Want producer responsibility – We already know that there are many charities and people who need clothing. It makes a lot of sense that clothes should be used and not burned, says head of FIVH, Anja Bakken Riise Photo: NTB Riise talks to news on the phone from Brussels. She is there to meet European organizations that work for a sustainable textile industry. – If we are to come to terms with the use and discard that fast fashion inflicts on us, we need more such regulations that make it more difficult and less attractive for the clothing chains to engage in overproduction. That is why this is so important, she says. Today, the rich world sends large quantities of clothes to poor countries, where they often end up in landfills. Riise and the other organizations want to put an end to that. Riise says one of the next steps is to introduce what is called producer responsibility for clothing. – This means that chains such as H&M and Zara, which produce and sell clothes, must be responsible for paying for the clothes when they once become rubbish and must be handled properly.
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The EU forbids the destruction of unused clothes – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
