Instead of discarding stock, companies are encouraged to manage their stock more effectively, handle returns, and explore alternatives such as resale, remanufacturing, donations, or reuse.
The ban on destruction of unsold apparel, clothing accessories and footwear and the derogations will apply to large companies from 19 July 2026. Medium-sized companies are expected to follow in 2030. The rules on disclosure under the ESPR already apply to large companies and will also apply to medium-sized companies in 2030.
Sending it to “poor countries” (outside the EU) is more expensive than sending it to a local charity or just putting it on sale.
They don’t want it being put on sale because it destroys the brand image. Similarly, they don’t want it to be given away locally because it’ll just end up on sale.
This is one of the big issues with high end expensive fashion. They have to destroy unsold stock to maintain artificial scarcity.
Why don’t they just… produce fewer units…? Have an actual scarcity (and no waste) instead of artificial…? What am I missing here