On Monday 17 June, the Council of the European Union adopted its position on the revision of the Waste Directive concerning food and textile waste.
This text sets a target of reducing per capita food waste by 30% in 2030 compared with 2020, targeting the retail trade, restaurants and food services, and households. In addition, a 10% reduction target by 2030 has been applied to the processing and manufacturing sectors.
The text also provides for targets to be set for edible foodstuffs by 31 December 2027, when the Commission will review the targets for 2030.
At a public session, the Commissioner for the Environment, Virginijus Sinkevičius, praised the work undertaken by the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council to reconcile the different national positions. He also noted that the text retained “the key elements” of the Commission’s proposal (see EUROPE 13216/3).
He acknowledged that Member States have some flexibility in setting a reference year other than 2020 (the start of the Covid-19 pandemic), which is preferred because it is the first year for which data on food waste was collected in a harmonised way.
Adjustment factors will also have to be developed to take account of fluctuations in tourism and production levels in the food processing and manufacturing sectors relative to the reference year.
With regard to the textile sector, the Commission will consider setting specific targets for waste prevention, collection and recycling from the end of 2028.
The text also provides for harmonised extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes, obliging fashion brands and textile producers to pay fees to finance the collection and processing of textile waste.
Companies that adopt fast fashion practices may be required to pay higher fees by Member States, while charities, social enterprises and foundations as social economy entities may be exempted from certain reporting obligations in order to avoid a disproportionate administrative burden.
The interinstitutional negotiations between the EU Council and the Parliament, which adopted its position last March, will take place once the new European parliamentary term has been established.
To see the text: https://aeur.eu/f/coa (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)