Making sustainable products the norm: RREUSE reaction to Commission’s promising plans

The “New proposals to make sustainable products the norm and boost Europe’s resource independence”, stemming from the European Green Deal and presented by the European Commission today, contain a set of promising initiatives to save resources, advance the implementation of the waste hierarchy whilst taking into account social impacts. The package includes, among others, an Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation and a communication on a new Sustainable and Circular Textiles Strategy, which was met with high anticipation from social enterprises active in the re-use, repair, and recycling sector. The goal of this policy package is to make products (including textiles, furniture, and electronics) more durable, reusable, and recyclable. Specifically, for textiles, the Commission intends to tackle fast fashion, textile waste and the destruction of unsold textiles, whilst also ensuring the production process is respectful of social rights.