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The ban on destroying unsold clothing

Large companies may no longer destroy unsold apparel, footwear and accessories, and must disclose what they discard.

Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, Article 25 and Annex VII

Large enterprises since July 2026. Medium enterprises from July 2030. Small and micro enterprises exempt.

ESPR bans the destruction of unsold apparel, footwear and accessories. It has applied to large enterprises since July 2026 and reaches medium enterprises in July 2030; small and micro enterprises are exempt. Companies in scope must also disclose each year how many unsold products they discarded and why.

What the ban asks

  • No destruction of unsold consumer apparel, footwear and accessories, with narrow exemptions the company must be able to prove.
  • Annual public disclosure of the quantities discarded, the reasons and what happened to them.
  • Records kept for the period the regulation sets.
  • A delegated regulation adopted in February 2026 sets out the cases in which destruction stays allowed and the documentation to keep; the company must be able to show that one of them applies.

What to prepare

  • Know your size class; the dates depend on it.
  • Count unsold stock per style and size and record where it goes: resale, donation, recycling.
  • Write the exemption evidence down before the season ends, not when a question arrives.

One record

What the Seamdex record already carries

  • Quantities per style, colour and size from the purchase order, and a passport per size that makes end-of-season counts a filter, not a project.

The record carries the product data a report or an answer to an authority rests on. Not a compliance claim: reporting and due diligence duties sit with the company.

FAQ

Questions on this rule

Small and micro enterprises are exempt. Medium enterprises come into scope later; large enterprises are already in it. Check your size class under the EU definition.

Regulatory dates last reviewed October 2026. Future dates are expectations, not law. This guide describes the rules; it is not legal advice.

Structure the data before the rules land.

One garment record, published the same day, at one price.

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