It has long been one of the dirty truths of the fashion industry: every year several tons of brand new clothes and shoes are burned, even if there is nothing wrong with them. Often the price tags are still on when blouses, trousers and shoes that were not sold go up in smoke. In Denmark alone, 677 tonnes of clothing end up in the incineration plant each year, according to a survey carried out for the Consumer Council Think in 2021. This corresponds to three million t-shirts a year. But now the EU must stop the madness: the European Commission has just adopted a ban on destroying new textiles and shoes. – It is time to stop the “buy and throw away” model which damages our planet, our health and economy, said Alessandra Moretti, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) who has been at the forefront of getting the new legislation through. She expects that the ban on destroying unsold textiles and shoes will help to change the way fast fashion manufacturers make their goods today. The ban comes at the same time as a number of new rules, where the EU tries to stop Europeans’ buying and throwing away culture. The environmental impact of clothes, bags and shoes is high on the EU’s agenda. The textile industry is right at the top as the fourth most polluting sector after transport, housing and food. The new ban is part of the so-called Ecodesign directive, which aims to ensure that clothing and other products, among other things, become easier to repair and reuse. – New products will be designed in a way that benefits everyone, that respects our planet and protects the environment, said Alessandra Moretti in connection with the launch. Initially, large businesses have two years to comply with the ban, while medium-sized businesses have six years. It is still uncertain what will happen to the fashion industry’s large quantities of unsold clothes in the future. But Dio Kurazawa, who advises fashion companies on sustainability at The Bear Scouts, points out that the new law is an opportunity that clothing companies should seize. Artificial intelligence today provides completely new opportunities for increasing the flexibility of supply chains and, for example, selling clothing, which is only put into production once it has been ordered by the customer. In other words, so-called “on demand production”. – The technology can give businesses greater awareness of what they are going to produce, so there will be less unsold goods altogether, he tells Vogue Business.
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Every year several thousand tonnes of clothes end up on the fire, but now the EU says stop
