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.
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.
Built around the data set the Commission's researchers have proposed, updated as the delegated act lands. Not a compliance claim: no one can make one before the act exists.
Questions on this rule
Sources
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, Article 25 (EUR-Lex) checked September 2026
- European Commission, destruction of unsold consumer products checked September 2026
Regulatory dates last reviewed September 2026. Future dates are expectations, not law. This guide describes the rules; it is not legal advice.