EU Moves to Ban Destruction of Unsold Clothes and Footwear under New Sustainable Rules

The European Commission adopted a set of strengthened measures under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) to curb wasteful practices in the textile and footwear sectors. The new rules aim to ban the destruction of unsold apparel, clothing accessories, and footwear, addressing growing environmental concerns about fast fashion and industrial waste within the European Union.

According to EU estimates, roughly 4–9% of unsold textiles in Europe are destroyed every year before being worn, contributing around 5.6 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually - a volume nearly equivalent to the total net emissions of Sweden in 2021. Under the new regulation, companies will be required to disclose information on discarded unsold products, increasing transparency and accountability in supply chains.

The rules include two key components: a Delegated Act and an Implementing Act. From July 19, 2026, the destruction ban - along with detailed derogations for safety or damaged goods - will apply to large companies, while medium-sized firms are expected to comply by 2030. Starting February 2027, businesses will have to report data on volumes of unsold goods they discard in a standardised format to help regulators track compliance and progress toward circularity goals.

Jessika Roswall, European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, said the rules will encourage companies to adopt circular practices, reduce environmental harm, and create a more level playing field for sustainable business models - a strategic shift away from traditional “take-make-dispose” production patterns in the fashion and footwear industries.

Bans on unsold-inventory destruction are moving textile and footwear brands toward serious circular commitments - resale, recycling and take-back at real operational scale. Our circular-economy and supply-chain-and-operations teams help fashion, retail and consumer-goods clients evaluate what these bans mean for supply-chain design and disclosure narrative.