Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 April 2024
157. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he has examined legislation introduced in France to address the issue of fast fashion; his views on whether this issue should be addressed in Ireland; if he plans to introduce such legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18747/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy 2020-2025 establishes a commitment to tackle the environmental degradation caused by textiles in Ireland, in close collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
At EU level, my Department is actively participating in policy and legislative development regarding textiles and is aware of various different initiatives launched in individual Member States. The EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles (2022) envisages that textile products placed on the EU market are long-lived and recyclable and ‘fast fashion is out of fashion’ so that citizens benefit from durable but affordable textiles. The Strategy also proposes measures to make producers take responsibility for products throughout the value chain including waste, aiming to make producers who manufacture and sell disposable goods for profit, environmentally accountable for the products they place on the market.
As part of the implementation of this Strategy, the European Commission published a legislative proposal for targeted amendments to the Waste Framework Directive in July 2023 with respect to food waste and textiles. The proposal aims to introduce a mandatory EU-wide Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme for textile waste, similar to those introduced in France and the Netherlands. Given the global nature of supply chains, in my view a harmonised approach to EPR across the EU has the best chance of success, particularly in smaller markets such as Ireland.
In 2022, I established a Textiles Advisory Group (TAG), bringing together relevant expertise from industry, community and regulatory bodies. Information on the work of the TAG can be found at gov.ie (www.gov.ie/en/policy-information/528f7-circular-economy/#textiles). The TAG is developing a new work programme for the next 18 months currently and the establishment of an EPR in Ireland is to be examined there.
