Why EPR policies are essential for textile circularity

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has released a report stating that extended producer responsibility (EPR) policies are needed to achieve a circular economy for textiles. Collection infrastructure for textiles is currently underdeveloped, with individual national separate collection rates averaging only 14% and reaching a maximum of 50%. Over 80% of textiles globally end up being incinerated, landfilled or leaked into the environment.

The report argues that EPR policies must go beyond just waste management and recycling, and should provide funding to cover the net cost of managing all discarded textiles, not just those with high market value. Without an EPR policy, the collection, reuse and recycling of textiles is unlikely to be meaningfully scaled up.

The report highlights the potential of EPR to support a circular economy across borders by contributing funding for textile collection and management in countries where they ultimately end up. The study says a comprehensive circular economy approach is the only solution that can match the scale of the global textile waste problem.

The 2024 Peoples’ Climate Vote has been published. According to a global survey of 75,000 people, 80% want their country to do more on climate change. The United Nations Development Program, the University of Oxford and Geopoll conducted the report and surveyed people in 77 countries.

The data shows that citizens of the world’s biggest polluting countries support a rapid move away from fossil fuels and stronger climate policies. Of those surveyed, 69% said the climate crisis has impacted major life decisions, including where to live or work. There is also a desire for levelling up with 79% wanting richer countries to help poorer countries adapt to extreme weather.

The International Sustainability Standards Board has announced key steps to harmonise sustainability reporting. These focus on corporate climate transition plans and measuring greenhouse gas emissions across value chains.

The ISSB will now oversee the transition task force disclosure framework and has partnered with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol to ensure compatibility in greenhouse gas reporting standards. This aims to reduce the complexity of multiple reporting standards and provide a consistent global baseline.

The ISSB’s new steps, part of a two-year work plan, include improving the industry-specific Sustainability Accounting Standards Board standards and ensuring the interoperability of International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation sustainability standards with others. This move is expected to simplify corporate reporting and improve the quality and consistency of sustainability disclosures globally.

The European Union has formally approved a new binding agreement aimed at restoring degraded ecosystems. The primary objectives of the landmark Nature Restoration Law are to improve climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts, as well as to enhance food security throughout the EU.

This legislation, which entered into force in May 2023, sets the ambitious goal of bringing at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas into a healthy state by the end of the decade. The law covers a wide range of habitats, from forests and grasslands to wetlands and marine environments. It establishes binding restoration targets for member states and requires regular monitoring and reporting.

The enactment of the law marks a significant step forward in the EU's efforts to halt and reverse the decline of biodiversity across the continent. Despite strong opposition from some states, 20 out of 27 members of the European Council voted in favour, meeting the two-thirds majority needed for the legislation to pass.

Denmark is planning to introduce the world's first carbon tax on agriculture. Cattle farmers will face charges of nearly €100 per year for the greenhouse gas emissions produced by each of their cows. Denmark's coalition government agreed on a tax rate of €16 per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions from livestock.

The proposal has sparked immediate criticism from both environmental and farming organisations. Green groups argue that the tax may not go far enough to address climate change, while farmer groups say it could disproportionately impact some farmers.

A UN FAO report has found that, in 2022, global aquaculture production exceeded wild fisheries for the first time. This milestone was due to the growing global demand for seafood, which has risen twice as fast as global population since 1961.

While both aquaculture and fisheries have environmental impacts, aquaculture can be transformed to reduce its footprint, for example through using renewable energy instead of fossil fuels. Wild fisheries also face issues including overfishing and bycatch. There is however significant overlap between the two systems, making it difficult to isolate their climate impacts.

For consumers, options such as buying local, fresh seafood, as well as smaller fish and sea vegetables, can help minimise the environmental impact. The report highlights the need to transform seafood production systems to be more sustainable and climate friendly.