The EU ban on destroying unsold clothing and footwear

What is the EU ban on destroying unsold clothing?

A direct prohibition, under Article 25 of the ESPR, on the destruction of unsold consumer products in two categories first: apparel and clothing accessories and footwear. “Destruction” means intentionally damaging or discarding goods still fit for use or sale, including landfill and incineration. Returns and overstock that a brand would previously have written off can no longer be sent to destruction as a default.

Who must comply, and from when?

The ban is phased by company size, using the EU's standard definitions:

Large companies — 250 or more employees, or over €50 million turnover — are covered from 19 July 2026. Medium-sized companies get a six-year transitional exemption, so the ban reaches them around 2030. Micro and small enterprises (broadly, under 50 staff) are exempt from the destruction ban altogether — though the wider textile Digital Product Passport will still reach them in time.

What must companies disclose?

Covered companies must publish, annually and on their website, the number and weight of products they discard per year, broken down by category, together with the reasons and the onward treatment (re-use, recycling, recovery, disposal). The disclosure duty turns the ban into something auditable, and record-keeping is expected to run for several years — so the data trail matters as much as the headline prohibition.

How does this connect to the textile passport?

Same regulation, same direction of travel. The destruction ban is the first ESPR obligation to bite for textiles; the textile Digital Product Passport follows once the ESPR delegated act for textiles is adopted. Both push the same outcome — knowing what a product is made of and where it can go next — which is why the record-keeping you set up for the ban is a head start on the passport. For importers juggling several regimes at once, it also sits alongside EUDR and the battery passport.