Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on EPR for Textiles

Question:

To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether the extended producer responsibility approach will be expanded beyond e-waste and packaging to include textiles and fast fashion; and (b) how will the Government ensure that producers bear greater responsibility for product end-of-life to reduce the burden on consumers and municipal systems.

Answer:

My Ministry and the National Environment Agency have been progressively implementing extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes to strengthen producer responsibility. We also encourage and support ground-up efforts from industry to manage waste responsibly, such as the Alliance for Action on Packaging Waste Reduction for the e-Commerce sector.

Our current areas of focus for EPR are e-waste which was implemented in 2021, and beverage containers which will be introduced next year through the Beverage Container Return Scheme.

Used textiles are not readily recyclable due to the highly varied materials and fibre blends used. Currently, they are collected via a network of channels (e.g. in-store collection points) for resale or reuse. My Ministry will continue to review ways to support proper management of textile waste.

Proper waste management remains a shared responsibility. All of us play a part to reduce, reuse, and recycle.