Lawmakers in the EU have given the green light to significantly reducing food waste and curbing the popularity of fast fashion in favor of well-made items made with high-quality, ethical materials. These changes aim to slash environmental impact by 2030. Negotiations focused on 27 member states in the EU with a goal of reducing food waste generated from restaurants, retailers, and households by 30 percent, and waste from food processing and manufacturing by 10 percent compared to levels from 2021to 2023.
The Real Cost of Food Waste
Currently, around 60 million tons of food is wasted in the EU, which equates to around $155 billion dollars. But the changes aren’t just an effort to save money: food waste also plays a significant role in climate change. In the EU, the current food system generates around 16 percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions. This is the fifth-largest source of greenhouse gases.
So what’s the big deal? Wasting food also increases the demand for scarce natural resources like water and land. Less waste would mean economic benefits through saving money on food costs and labor. It would also help to conserve natural resources, the ability to feed more people, and increase food security over time.
This new commitment will provide EU countries with reduction targets and spell out how to manage, recycle, and recover waste. But it will also give each country a chance to choose the best way to meet the targets.
One example of what this may look like is selling fruits and vegetables even if they aren’t aesthetically perfect. Another is donating unsold food that’s still within expiration dates.
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Waste from the Fashion Industry Causes More Harm than People Realize
Meanwhile, lawmakers are also making a push to cut back on fast fashion in an effort to create “a whole new sustainable ecosystem for textiles by the end of this decade.” The goal is to ensure that clothing producers create more durable, recyclable, and repairable clothing. Right now, they waste an average of 50 kilos of textile trash per year.
By moving away from “fast fashion” sources, which typically don’t hold up well over time, the EU can begin reducing clothing waste. This also ensures better availability of fabric and footwear that can be reused or repaired.
Not only does fast fashion create more textile waste, it’s also imported from abroad. These clothes often come from countries with exploitative labor practices, low wages, and human rights violations. Fast fashion also causes significant environmental damage, as it consumes a massive amount of water. It contributes to textile pollution, and releases more microplastics into the environment.
The business model that comes with fast fashion also promotes unsustainable overconsumption. Because the clothing doesn’t last as long, waste fills landfills more quickly, and consumers must purchase more frequently.
Potential Benefits VS Industry Criticism
Each year, more than 12.6 million tons of fabric are wasted worldwide, and less than 1% of textiles are recycled. The most concerning aspect of this issue is that almost 4-9 percent of all textile products in the EU marketplace are destroyed without ever being used in the first place. The European Environment Agency notes that this waste is the equivalent of 5.6 million tons of CO2 in greenhouse gas emissions.
So by reducing food waste by 40 percent (from restaurants and households, not farmers) and fast fashion manufacturing by 20 percent by 2030, the EU aims to create a more solid and sustainable future.
However, lawmakers are facing pushback from the hospitality and restaurant sectors that claim efforts would be better spent on raising awareness among consumers, who are the source of the majority of food waste in the EU. The World Wildlife Fund also claims that combating food waste must include farmers because losses occur in livestock rearing and before, during, or after harvesting produce.
Whether or not the EU plans to take these criticisms into account is yet to be seen. But at home, consumers can begin to do their part.
How Consumers can Help Make a Difference
At home, you can also help cut back on food waste and fast fashion by doing the following:
- Plan more home-cooked meals
- Serve appropriate portion sizes and freeze your leftovers
- Make a grocery list that focuses only on what you need
- Store food properly to extend its life and keep an eye on expiration dates
- Get creative with your meals — use scraps for soups, repurpose leftovers into new dishes, or make your own stock from bones
- Donate extra pantry items to food banks, provided that they haven’t expired!
- Compost any food scraps you can’t reuse
- Look for alternatives to purchasing clothing, such as renting
- Buy your clothes or shoes from second-hand sources or swap items with friends
- Upcycle items you already own, turning them into something that looks new or finding fun new ways to style your existing wardrobe
- Invest in high-quality pieces that are created from sustainable materials
- Buy from ethical brands that focus on environmental impact and waste reduction
- Focus on creating a closet full of versatile items that are easy to mix and match
- Learn to mend holes, take in, or let out clothes in an effort to extend their usability
- Consider avoiding buying clothing or shoes for a set amount of time
- Remove the temptation to buy from fast fashion sources like Gap, Forever 21, H&M, Victoria’s Secret, and Shein (and other popular brands) by unfollowing the brands or influencers of the brands on social media
Together, we can all chip in to reduce what ends up in a landfill and create a more sustainable future for future generations.
For more information on how you can reduce food and fashion waste, visit the following websites:
Featured image ID by Panaramka , via Dreamstime.com