European Commission adopts ban on destroying unsold clothing and shoes

The European Commission moved to stop a hidden industry leak: Delegated and Implementing Acts under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation were adopted on 9 February 2026 to prevent the "unjustified destruction" of unsold apparel, clothing accessories and footwear. The ban on destruction will apply to large companies from 19 July 2026, with medium-sized firms phased in by 2030.

The new rules layer mandatory transparency on top of the prohibition. Manufacturers and economic operators must make annual disclosures that list the number and the weight of unsold products destroyed, the reasons for destruction, exemptions used, the waste treatment operations applied and the measures taken to prevent destruction. The Commission introduced a standardised disclosure format to ensure consistency; Asuene and industry reporting indicate the standardised reporting format will start for large firms in February 2027, while medium-sized companies will join the disclosure regime in 2030. Micro and small enterprises are exempt from the disclosure obligation.

The Acts provide clear definitions that change how back rooms and returns warehouses operate. "Destruction" is explicitly defined as the deliberate damaging or disposal of a product as waste; steps preparing items for reuse, recycling or remanufacturing are not considered destruction. "Unsold consumer products" includes goods not sold as well as items returned by consumers under withdrawal rights, a category flagged as particularly relevant to online retail models with high return rates. The rules also spell out permissible derogations for safety concerns or damaged products and make national authorities responsible for oversight and approval of exceptions.

The Commission anchored the push in hard numbers: across Europe an estimated 4 to 9 percent of unsold textiles are destroyed before they are worn, producing around 5.6 million tons or tonnes of CO2 emissions — a figure the Commission compares to Sweden's total net emissions in 2021. Commissioner Jessika Roswall framed the move as a competitiveness and circularity play: "The textile sector is leading the way in the transition to sustainability, but there are still challenges. The numbers on waste show the need to act. With these new measures, the textile sector will be empowered to move towards sustainable and circular practices, and we can boost our competitiveness and reduce our dependencies."

Practical questions remain for brands recalibrating logistics and resale channels. Business of Fashion pointed out a major omission: "The European Commission did not say what penalties will be for companies found violating the ban." National authorities will oversee compliance, but the adopted texts excerpted publicly do not specify fines or enforcement mechanisms. The Ecodesign regulation itself entered into force in July 2024, and these Delegated and Implementing Acts are designed to operationalise Article 24 disclosure requirements; the industry now has clear dates to align IT systems, returns flows and recovery channels or face public accounting of destroyed stock.

If you work in design, buying, or ecommerce, the calendar is now part of the job: ban for large companies from 19 July 2026, standardised reporting for large firms by February 2027, and an extended scope to medium-sized companies by 2030. The rule change forces brands to turn destruction into data, and data into alternative routes for unsold product — resale, repair, donation or recycling — or explain why they could not.