Exceptions are provided, for example, for damaged goods or if disposal is necessary for hygienic reasons. At the same time, companies will have to disclose information about the goods they dispose of.
The publication notes that the innovations should change the current market situation: textile recycling is often cheaper than recycling, which is why millions of garments end up in landfills in the EU every year.
— This is facilitated by online trading, in which customers return a very large number of goods - it is often easier for companies to dispose of them than to return them for sale. According to the European Commission, almost ten percent of unsold pairs of shoes and various clothes are destroyed in the European Union — most often they are burned. This causes the emission of about 5.6 million tons of carbon dioxide per year — more than, for example, the whole of Sweden emits CO2. Online commerce in Germany alone disposes of almost 20 million returned items annually. This has a negative impact on the environment and climate," the report says.
The European Commission intends to encourage companies to manage inventory more efficiently, process returns better, and consider alternatives such as reselling, recycling, or even donating clothing. inform.kz.
