New EU Rules on Textile and Food Waste

In September 2025, the European Parliament approved the new Waste Directive, amending Directive 2008/98/EC and introducing binding targets to reduce food waste and ensure the sustainable management of textile waste.

This is one of the most significant reforms within the circular economy package, designed to give concrete implementation to the European Green Deal and bring Member States closer to achieving climate neutrality by 2050.

The goal is clear: to reduce the environmental and social impact of European production models, building more resilient, transparent supply chains capable of regenerating resources instead of depleting them.

Binding Targets Against Food Waste

For the first time, the European Union has set mandatory reduction targets for food waste to be achieved by 2030.
Member States will be required to ensure:

– a 10% reduction in waste during food processing and production, compared with the 2021–2023 average;

– a 30% per capita reduction in food waste generated by retail, restaurants, services, and households.

Each country must develop a national prevention plan with systems for monitoring, data collection, and measurement of waste throughout the entire supply chain.

These measures are part of the broader Farm to Fork Strategy, which aims to make Europe’s food system more sustainable by reducing resource losses, greenhouse gas emissions, and biodiversity impacts.

According to the European Parliament, around 60 million tonnes of food are wasted every year in the EU, equivalent to 131 kilograms per person, a figure incompatible with Europe’s climate goals and global food security.

Textiles: Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

Alongside food waste, the textile sector stands at the heart of the new directive. It is one of the industries with the highest environmental footprint, responsible for 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions and significant water and raw material consumption.

The new law requires all Member States to establish Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes within 30 months.
This means that anyone placing textile products on the market—such as clothing, footwear, accessories, and home textiles—will be responsible for the costs and organization of collection, sorting, reuse, and recycling at the end of the product’s life cycle.

Key innovations include:

– The obligation also applies to online sellers and non-EU importers, ensuring fair competition.

– EPR fees will be eco-modulated: more durable, repairable, and recyclable products will pay lower fees.

– Micro-enterprises will be granted longer adaptation periods.

– Member States must transpose the directive within 20 months and implement EPR systems within 30 months.

– In practice, by 2030, the entire European textile market will need to be traceable, circular, and designed to minimize waste.

Impacts and Opportunities for Businesses

The new directive is not merely a regulatory constraint it is a driver of innovation for production and consumption models.

In the textile sector, EPR will accelerate the creation of new collection and recycling value chains, repair and rental services, and digital tracking platforms for materials.

In the food sector, mandatory waste measurement will encourage companies, restaurants, and retailers to invest in smart logistics, digitalization, and social partnerships, generating both environmental and economic benefits.

Businesses that anticipate these changes will gain easier access to EU funds, industrial partnerships, and emerging markets, where circularity is becoming a competitive advantage.

Case Studies:

Several European and Italian initiatives already demonstrate that the goals set out in the directive are not only achievable but already being implemented.


Refashion (France)
Refashion is France’s leading eco-organization for textile waste management.
Established in 2008, it serves as a benchmark for EPR systems across Europe.
It involves over 4,000 fashion brands and, in 2024 alone, managed the collection and recovery of more than 250,000 tonnes of used textiles.
Refashion coordinates collection networks, funds recycling innovation, and supports companies developing new fibers from discarded garments.


Rifo (Italy)
Rifo is an Italian company based in Prato, in the heart of Tuscany’s textile district, and stands as one of Europe’s best examples of circular fashion.
It produces garments and accessories made from regenerated fibers — wool, cashmere, and denim — using a short, mechanical recycling supply chain.
Rifo has built a transparent, local model that drastically reduces environmental and social impacts while engaging the community through garment collection initiatives.
The company has also collaborated with Tondo through the Circular Threads project, participating in the Circularity Assessment Score (CAS) — a tool developed by Tondo to measure the circularity performance of enterprises.
Rifo exemplifies how innovation can emerge from local traditions to become a symbol of industrial regeneration and ecosystem collaboration.


Too Good To Go (Denmark)
Too Good To Go is a European platform that connects restaurants, supermarkets, and bakeries with consumers willing to purchase unsold food at reduced prices.
Operating in more than 17 countries, it has already saved over 300 million meals from being wasted, reducing emissions and economic losses for food businesses.
It shows how digital technology can transform an environmental problem into an efficient, scalable service.


Last Minute Market (Italy)
Last Minute Market is a spin-off from the University of Bologna, founded by economist Andrea Segrè.
For over 20 years, it has recovered surplus food and unsold goods from supermarkets, canteens, and companies, redistributing them to the non-profit sector.
It is recognized as a pioneer of circular economy applied to food and has inspired several measures now embedded in the EU directive.

Challenges Ahead

Despite its potential, several structural challenges remain.
Many European countries still lack adequate collection infrastructure for textiles, as well as large-scale recycling facilities.
In the food sector, consistent waste measurement across the EU will require shared digital tools and standards.

Another issue is the cost of compliance for SMEs, which will need to invest in adapting to the new rules.
Hence, public support programs and collaborative networks between companies, startups, and research centers will be crucial to facilitate the transition.

Conclusion: From Regulation to Innovation

The new EU directive on textile and food waste marks a decisive step forward for Europe’s circular economy.
It is not just a regulatory obligation, but a push for industrial transformation that rewards innovation in materials, logistics, consumption models, and data management.

The experiences of Refashion, Rifo, Too Good To Go, and Last Minute Market demonstrate that circularity is already feasible, profitable, and socially impactful.

In this context, Tondo emerges as an ecosystem of connection, knowledge, and collaboration, capable of linking companies, startups, institutions, and citizens to accelerate the transition toward truly regenerative production models.

If Europe aims to fulfill the Green Deal’s goals, it will need more networks like Tondo — places where innovation and cooperation converge to build an economy that generates not waste, but shared value.

Francesco Castellano

Francesco Castellano is a seasoned business leader and strategist with over 20 years of experience spanning research, finance, consulting, and entrepreneurship. He has held impactful roles, including serving as a consultant at Bain & Company, launching Uber operations in Turin, and working as Managing Director of a Swiss start-up. In recent years, Francesco Castellano founded Tondo, a hub of... Read more

Francesco Castellano is a seasoned business leader and strategist with over 20 years of experience spanning research, finance, consulting, and entrepreneurship. He has held impactful roles, including serving as a consultant at Bain & Company, launching Uber operations in Turin, and working as Managing Director of a Swiss start-up.

In recent years, Francesco Castellano founded Tondo, a hub of organizations dedicated to promoting Circular Economy approaches and supporting companies in transitioning to sustainable and circular practices. He is also the ideator and coordinator of the Re-think Circular Economy Forum, a high-profile event held across Italy to showcase innovative Circular Economy solutions.

Francesco Castellano collaborates with European institutions, serving as an expert for the European Commission’s Circular Cities and Regions Initiative and mentoring startups in the European Institute of Innovation and Technology’s (EIT) New European Bauhaus Booster Program. Through these roles, he actively supports the development and scaling of circular economy ventures across Europe.

He is also a sought-after speaker and lecturer, sharing his expertise on Circular Economy, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship at universities and international events. Francesco holds executive education certificates from prestigious institutions such as MIT, Harvard, and the University of Virginia, further solidifying his credentials in strategy, sustainability, and innovation.

Fluent in Italian, English, and Spanish, Francesco Castellano combines his diverse skill set with a passion for Circular Economy, Cleantech Innovations, and Entrepreneurship. His strong background in Corporate Strategy, Sustainability, Innovation Development, and Finance enables him to drive impactful change in every initiative he undertakes.

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