EU, measures to reduce food waste - Aims to reduce 30% of wasted food by 2030
Following negotiations between 27 member states, the European Union has set targets for a 30% reduction in food waste produced by households, retailers and restaurants by 2030. Waste from food processing and production will also be reduced by 10%, compared to 2021-2023 levels.
According to the European Commission, around 60 million tonnes of food are thrown away in the EU every year, causing an economic loss of around €132 billion. In addition to the financial cost, food waste has a major impact on the climate, contributing to around 16% of greenhouse gas emissions from the bloc’s food system. If food waste were a country, it would rank fifth in the EU in terms of pollution. These commitments will be included in the EU Waste Directive, which will oblige member states to meet targets, while leaving it up to them to decide how to implement them.
In addition to food, the EU is also targeting the textile industry. Each EU citizen throws away an average of 15 kg of textiles per year. The EU Sustainable Textiles Strategy aims to create a sustainable system by the end of the decade, where clothes are more durable, repairable and recyclable.
The focus is on reducing the 25-40% of material that remains unused during clothing production. Through an expanded system, all textile and footwear manufacturers, inside and outside the EU, will be forced to cover the costs of collecting, separating and recycling the products they throw on the European market.
The measure also aims to curb fast fashion, especially from China, which produces cheap, short-lived clothes. Currently, less than 1% of textiles are recycled worldwide, while 12.6 million tonnes of textile waste are generated in the European Union each year. The European Environment Agency points out that this level of textile waste causes 5.6 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, a figure almost equal to Sweden's total emissions in 2021.
Although some MEPs had called for more ambitious targets, such as a 40% reduction in food waste from households and restaurants, and 20% from producers, the compromise reached with member states remains below the United Nations' goal of halving global food waste per capita by 2030.
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