EU ban on destruction of unsold clothes and shoes enters into application

欧盟禁止销毁未售出衣物及鞋履的规定正式生效

From 19 July, large companies across the EU are prohibited from destroying unsold clothes, clothing accessories and footwear. Medium-sized companies will be subject to the same rules from 2030. 自7月19日起，欧盟境内的大型企业被禁止销毁未售出的衣物、服装配饰及鞋履。中型企业将于2030年起适用相同规定。

The measure, introduced under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), aims to prevent the waste of valuable products and the resources used to make them. When new, usable goods are discarded, the raw materials, water, energy and labour invested in their production are lost, while their disposal generates avoidable greenhouse gas emissions. By encouraging reuse, repair and more resource-efficient business practices, the new rules support the transition to a more circular and competitive European economy. 该措施根据《可持续产品生态设计法规》（ESPR）引入，旨在防止有价值的产品及其生产资源被浪费。当全新的可用商品被丢弃时，投入生产的原材料、水、能源和劳动力随之流失，而其处置过程还会产生本可避免的温室气体排放。通过鼓励再利用、维修及更具资源效率的商业实践，新规将支持欧洲经济向更循环、更具竞争力的方向转型。

What the new rules mean for companies

新规对企业意味着什么

Under the new rules, businesses must prioritise keeping products in use by selling them (including through discounts or alternative markets), donating them to charities or social enterprises, or preparing them for reuse (repairing, refurbishing or remanufacturing). Destruction will be allowed only under specified circumstances and must be carried out in accordance with the waste treatment hierarchy, giving priority to recycling. 根据新规，企业必须优先通过销售（包括打折或通过替代市场销售）、捐赠给慈善机构或社会企业，或进行再利用准备（维修、翻新或再制造）来延长产品的使用寿命。仅在特定情况下才允许销毁，且必须遵循废物处理层级原则，优先考虑回收利用。

When the ban does not apply

禁止令的例外情况

Companies may only destroy unsold clothes and shoes in limited cases, such as when items are unsafe or damaged, counterfeit or infringing intellectual property rights, or are rejected by charities or donation schemes. To prevent misuse, businesses relying on these exemptions must provide proof (e.g. documents or test results) and publish annual reports on what they have discarded. 企业仅在有限的情况下可以销毁未售出的衣物和鞋履，例如产品不安全、受损、假冒或侵犯知识产权，或是被慈善机构或捐赠计划拒绝接收。为防止滥用，依赖这些豁免条款的企业必须提供证明（如文件或测试结果），并就其丢弃的物品发布年度报告。

How the rules will be enforced

规则如何执行

National authorities will check compliance and can impose fines for violations. Companies must keep records for five years to allow inspections. To reduce paperwork, businesses will use existing customs and logistics codes when reporting. Small and micro-businesses are exempt from these requirements. 各国主管部门将检查合规情况，并可对违规行为处以罚款。企业必须保存记录五年以备检查。为减少文书工作，企业在报告时将使用现有的海关和物流代码。小型和微型企业可免除这些要求。

Background

背景

The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which came into force in 2024, sets EU-wide rules to make products more durable, repairable, recyclable and resource-efficient. The ban on destroying unsold textiles is one of the first concrete measures under the ESPR. Textiles are the first product group subject to this ban due to the negative environmental impacts of current business models, which often lead to the destruction of unsold goods. 于2024年生效的《可持续产品生态设计法规》（ESPR）制定了欧盟范围内的规则，旨在使产品更耐用、更易维修、更易回收且更具资源效率。禁止销毁未售出纺织品是ESPR下的首批具体措施之一。由于当前的商业模式往往导致未售出商品被销毁，造成负面环境影响，纺织品成为首个受此禁令约束的产品类别。

According to the European Environment Agency, an estimated 4-9% of all textile products put on the market in Europe are destroyed before use, amounting to between 264,000 and 594,000 tonnes of textiles destroyed each year. The Commission developed the rules after wide consultation with businesses, NGOs and experts to ensure they work in practice without creating unnecessary red tape. 据欧洲环境署估计，欧洲市场上投放的所有纺织品中，约有4-9%在投入使用前就被销毁，每年销毁的纺织品总量在26.4万至59.4万吨之间。欧盟委员会在与企业、非政府组织和专家进行广泛磋商后制定了这些规则，以确保其在实践中有效运行，同时避免造成不必要的官僚主义负担。