Textiles and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): Global trends and upcoming regulations

Textile waste is emerging as another major waste stream that is being tackled through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) on a global scale.

Under EPR, textile producers will be responsible for the full lifecycle of their products and will be required to financially support the sustainable management of textile waste across the globe where this legislation has been introduced. This will include costs associated with the collection, reuse preparation, recycling, recovery, and final disposal of textiles.

Currently, Textiles EPR legislation is only in force in a few European countries. However, with the EU continuing to push its circular economy action plan and the rest of the globe looking to increase sustainability and environmental viability, there are many countries with textiles EPR legislation on the horizon.

For more detailed information on countries where legislation is in place or impending and reporting requirements, get in touch to find out more about how we can support via our Textile Horizon Scanning service.

Existing textile EPR requirements

Current textile EPR legislation exists in the following countries:

1. France (Decree 602/2008) – The aim of the legislation in France is to engage producers in taking the end-of-life treatment of the products they place onto the market into consideration. The obligation applies to all manufacturers, importers, retailers, and distance sellers placing in-scope products into French territory for the first time.

2. The Netherlands (Decree of 14 April 2023) – The obligation applies to all parties that place in-scope textile products onto the Dutch market for the first time. This includes manufacturers and importers based in the Netherlands, as well as foreign producers supplying from abroad directly to end-users.

3. Hungary (Decree 80/2023) – The Decree introduced EPR to 11 product groups named ‘circular products’, one of which is textiles. Obligations apply to manufacturers in Hungary or entities putting products on the market for the first time. This includes foreign distance sellers.

4. Latvia (Waste Management Law on the 11 April 2023) -The aim of this legislation is to engage producers to consider the end-of-life treatment of the textile products they place onto the market. Companies must either pay the Natural Resource Tax to the government or join a Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) to take on this obligation for them and thus be exempt from paying the tax. In that case, companies would have to pay EPR fees to a PRO instead.

5. North Macedonia (Law on the Management of Additional Waste Streams 17 September 2021) – The objective of this legislation is to mitigate the adverse effects linked to the generation and management of not only textile waste but also other waste classifications, collectively termed as ‘circular products’. The producer is any legal entity or natural person who, regardless of sales technique make the textiles available for the first time on the market

In each of these countries, obligated producers are required to fulfil their EPR obligations, usually through joining a compliance scheme. Each of these countries have variations in scope, reporting requirements, and other applicable requirements but at their core share the same goal of reducing the waste generated by textiles and increasing the recycling of these waste materials.

EPR obligations in each of these EU countries also require producers to report figures on textile waste, pay EPR compliance fees to contribute to the management of this waste, and adhere to each member state’s varying legislation for consumer information, take back requirements, and other EPR related obligations.

Proposed textile EPR requirements

Globally, textiles EPR has come to the forefront of many discussions around the introduction of EPR, with a majority of textile waste falling out of any existing reuse systems, actively harming the environment and contributing heavily to global pollution. This has resulted in proposed textiles EPR in Africa, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America.

Whilst the proposed implementation varies in scope, timeline, and impact, each of these countries is aiming to implement textiles EPR to help establish a more circular economy for products and waste.

Below is an overview of the regions and countries where textiles EPR  has been proposed in some form:

African countries with proposed textiles EPR

1. Kenya

EU countries with proposed textiles EPR

1. Bulgaria
2. Czech Republic
3. Italy
4. Norway
5. Spain
6. Slovakia
7. Sweden

USA states with proposed textiles EPR

1. California
2. New York
3. Washington

Oceania countries with proposed textiles EPR

1. Australia

South American countries with proposed textiles EPR

2. Brazil
3. Chile
4. Colombia
5. Mexico

How Valpak can help

Staying ahead of evolving textile EPR regulations is important for affected businesses. Our International Compliance team is here to help you understand your obligations under existing and emerging legislation. Get in touch by emailing [email protected] for expert guidance and bespoke reports tailored to your company’s compliance needs.

We continuously monitor global regulatory developments. Our Textiles Horizon Scanning service provides businesses with the latest insights on upcoming textile EPR requirements, helping you stay prepared and compliant with future changes.