Large fashion companies will no longer be allowed to destroy unsold or consumer-returned clothing, footwear and accessories. The development stems from Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, known as the Espr, which represents the new European ecodesign framework from 2024. The regulation's stated objective is "to define the ecodesign requirements that all consumer goods placed on the market (textiles, furniture, electronics, chemicals, etc.) must comply with."

From 19 July 2026, the ban on destroying unsold garments became one of the first provisions of the Regulation already in force. The concept of "destruction" is broad. The definition includes intentional discarding or damaging of products after which they become waste. Recycling is also considered destruction, because it requires, for example, shredding or disassembling products. In practice, the regulation pushes companies towards the upper end of the waste hierarchy — that is, reuse, resale, repair and donation — before any recovery or disposal operation.

In addition to the ban, the legislation also places a transparency obligation on companies. Under Article 24 of the regulation, large companies must annually report the quantity and weight of unsold products they have disposed of. Some exceptions remain, such as products that are hazardous, non-compliant, in violation of intellectual property rules, unsuitable for reuse, damaged, deteriorated or defective.

Why this regulation?

The regulation, however, does not apply to all companies. For now it only concerns large companies, while from 2030 the ban will be extended to medium-sized ones as well. Small and micro enterprises, on the other hand, remain exempt. The figures explain the urgency and rationale behind the measure. In Europe, it is estimated that up to 9 per cent of all textile products placed on the market are destroyed — that is, up to 594,000 tonnes of textiles destroyed every year. A waste of approximately 5.6 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, according to the European Environment Agency.

In Europe, the average return rate for clothing purchased online is estimated at 20 per cent — meaning one in five garments sold online is sent back. Of all returns, on average one in three ends up being destroyed. The picture changes when we talk about unsold merchandise sitting in warehouses. The average unsold rate in the research literature is 21 per cent, and it is estimated that around one fifth of this 21 per cent ends up being destroyed.

What solutions are there for reusing unsold garments?

With the ban in place, companies must find an alternative destination for the garments they cannot sell. The new rules require them to prioritise keeping products in use, by selling them or preparing them for reuse. They also call for improved inventory management, optimised sorting of returns, and the assessment of alternatives such as resale, refurbishment, donations and reuse.

The possible routes — also suggested by the source materials — are varied: boosting resale platforms, better forecasting demand to reduce overproduction, repairing defective garments and putting them back on the market as refurbished items, transforming unsold stock into new products, directing fabrics to other sectors such as padding, geotextiles and sound-absorbing materials, donating to charitable organisations, recovering fibres for new yarns, and offering garments for rent rather than for sale.