The Commission estimates that 4-9% of unsold textiles in Europe are destroyed before ever being worn, generating roughly 5.6 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually - close to Sweden's total net emissions. Companies must now turn to resale, donation, repair or recycling instead. Medium-sized companies will be brought into scope from 2030.

The ban marks one of the first directly enforceable measures under the ESPR framework and a visible test of how fashion retailers manage returns and excess stock in practice.

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