The German Federal Association of Waste, Water, and Circular Economy (BDE) has praised the new EU Eco-design Regulation. According to Andreas Bruckschen, CEO of the BDE, implementing the regulation is a historic step for resource protection, stating that “True recycling begins with the design. The EU Eco-design Regulation finally getting serious is a major leap forward for resource conservation.” Bruckschen added that if products are designed to be circular and digitally documented from the start, it will not only benefit the climate but also transform the circular economy into a growth engine. He concluded that this benefits everyone: “Better products for consumers, reliable raw materials for the economy-everyone wins.”
The EU Eco-design Regulation comes into effect on Sunday, July 19th, among other measures, banning major EU companies from destroying unsold clothing.
Conversely, the industry association “Textil+Mode” has sharply criticized the new EU Eco-design Regulation. Jonas Stracke, a circular expert at “Textil+Mode,” told the “Rheinische Post”, “No German or European manufacturer destroys flawless new merchandise. However, the name of the law creates the impression that manufacturers are mass-destroying new goods.”
Stracke argues that the law is addressing the wrong problem. He suggested that the prohibition against destruction, despite its forceful title, fails to tackle the Ultra-Fast Fashion issue in any significant way. Furthermore, he warned that it introduces substantial new bureaucracy in the EU, specifically burdening the very companies that are not responsible for the overflowing landfills of worthless old garments.
For genuine sustainability, Stracke asserts, the focus must be on establishing functional collection, sorting, and recycling structures, alongside developing a robust market for recycled textile fibers. Until these foundational prerequisites are in place, he warns that the destruction ban, with all its added documentation requirements, risks becoming nothing more than a ‘paper tiger.’
