As society moves away from the “take, make, dispose” model, new policies are being introduced across Europe to support the principles of a circular economy. Initiatives range from proposals around textiles to plans for sustainable packaging and e-waste recycling. Ongoing discussions about recycling textiles and reducing waste over the next seven years will be a key part of those efforts, alongside directives on minimising plastic and the right for customers to repair products.
While legislative support is important, entrepreneurs and start-ups also play a vital role in developing new ways of doing things, says Filipa Moita, marketing manager at Landbell Group. She notes that innovative start-ups “educate consumers, which is really important. If consumers aren’t behind the circular economy, it won’t happen.”
There are 16 proposed legislative measures to make fashion more circular. From 2028, textile companies will be required to collect a proportion of their textile waste, or pay a fee to support the waste collection of local authorities. By 2030, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation aims to ensure products are designed for circularity, with new rules to tackle greenwashing, the release of microplastics, and the destruction of unsold textiles.
In the packaging sector, the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD) will ensure that all packaging is designed for recycling from 1 January 2030. Additionally, food takeaway packaging will have to meet a reusability target, and proposals aim to minimise packaging size. Elsewhere, new laws aim to ensure that batteries are collected, reused and recycled in Europe
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