Waste Framework Directive: Zero Waste Europe applauds waste cuts to food and textiles, slams weak EU ambition
Brussels, 19 February 2025 – EU co-legislators abandoned ambition on textiles and food waste last night in their provisional agreement. Still pending the final adoption of the text, policymakers in the European Parliament have sidelined the institution’s previous position on food waste targets after the political shift to the right. Most Member States also strongly opposed stricter measures on food and textile waste.
The agreed food waste reduction targets for 2030 are calculated in comparison to the average amount of waste generated in 2021-2023. Yet, targets do not apply equally across the whole food supply chain. The co-legislators agreed to set a far lower target for manufacturing and processing sectors at a meagre 10%, whereas evidence shows that fast reductions are possible in the processing sector. Elsewhere, reduction targets for the retail, restaurants, food services, and households sector have been set at 30% per capita.
Theresa Mörsen, Waste & Resources Policy Officer, Zero Waste Europe, states:
“The EU and its Member States committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals 10 years ago, including a 50% reduction of food waste across the entire supply chain as outlined by SDG 12.3. Yet, now that it’s time to introduce binding targets, our leaders shy away from decisive action, ignoring the huge impact food waste has on climate change. Ambitious and legally binding targets are an essential tool in bringing all countries and all food businesses on board in the fight against food waste.”
Moreover, the law omitted taking action against food losses and waste at the primary production level. This is despite recordings by Eurostat showing at least 11% of food is lost at the primary production, or ‘farm level’. Meanwhile, other estimates show that even our best measurements may omit the majority of food loss in the EU; up to 60% of EU food waste occurs on farms. Legislators left open the option to adjust this shortcoming in a review in 2029.
The mismanagement of discarded food waste also causes major climate impacts down the line when organic waste is discarded in landfills, generating methane emissions. When food waste is not properly collected and stabilised before landfilling, it decomposes, releasing methane—a gas with a high warming potential. Only 26% of the food waste is currently captured through separate collection, highlighting a significant untapped opportunity to reduce methane emissions and meet climate commitments.
While the introduction of EPR for textiles marks a major milestone in holding textile producers accountable and applying the long-standing ‘polluter pays’ principle, the outcome today lacks crucial provisions, including concrete targets.
The fees producers will have to pay to help fund waste collection and treatment come much too late to alleviate the burden of waste management costs currently covered by municipalities. The lack of targets for collection, reuse, and recycling means that there is no sufficient incentive for producers to build up the required infrastructure in good time, and too much of the collected textiles will continue to be incinerated. A review may introduce such targets later on.
“The result leaves a lot of room for improvement,” says Mörsen. “We were hoping that Member States would take inspiration from existing schemes in France and the Netherlands and underpin EPR with concrete targets to achieve circularity. That said, legislators have also introduced measures to target the root cause of the problems we see in the sector today: fast fashion and overconsumption. The text allows Member States to adapt fees paid by producers according to the length of use of textile products.”
Lastly, the Parliament initially backed a key measure to sort waste before landfill or incineration, preventing recyclables from going to waste. Now, policymakers have pushed action to 2029 with a review instead.
Janek Vahk, Zero Pollution Manager at Zero Waste Europe, states:
“Ensuing access to secondary materials is vital for scaling up circular solutions, this step, though delayed, is a move in the right direction.”
Zero Waste Europe, the environmental network, calls for a more substantial review of the Waste Framework Directive to become a priority during this European mandate and be part of the announced Circular Economy Act.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Council of the European Union press release:
European Parliament press release:
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20250217IPR26975/deal-on-new-eu-rules-to-reduce-textile-and-food-waste
Joint press release of the Prevent Waste Coalition on the vote in the European Parliament: “European Parliament gives green light to food waste targets: Prevent Waste Coalition welcomes targets, but is disappointed with low ambition” [Published 13/05/2024]:
Proposal for a targeted revision of the Waste Framework Directive [Published 05/07/2023]:
Feedback to the proposal for a targeted revision of the Waste Framework Directive [Published 30/11/2023]:
Joint statement on Extended Producer Responsibility for Textiles [Published 16/10/2023]:
https://zerowasteeurope.eu/library/joint-statement-on-extended-producer-responsibility-for-textiles/
Joint policy brief by the Prevent Waste Coalition on the feasibility of ambitious food waste reduction targets [Published 03/05/2024]:
JRC Techno-scientific assessment of the management options for used and waste textiles in the European Union: https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC134586
Press contacts
Sean Flynn, Media Outreach & Communications Officer at Zero Waste Europe, [email protected] or [email protected] / +32 471 96 55 93
Theresa Mörsen, Waste & Resources Policy Officer, [email protected]
Janek Vahk, Zero Pollution Policy Manager, [email protected]
About Zero Waste Europe
Zero Waste Europe (ZWE) is the European network of communities, local leaders, experts, and change agents working towards a better use of resources and the elimination of waste in our society. We advocate for sustainable systems; for the redesign of our relationship with resources; and for a global shift towards environmental justice, accelerating a just transition towards zero waste for the benefit of people and the planet. www.zerowasteeurope.eu