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The proposed changes to the Basel Convention threaten the circular economy for textiles
30-04-2024
As specialists in used textile waste management, at Humana Fundación Pueblo para Pueblo, we are deeply concerned by the recently published statement from the governments of Denmark, France and Sweden urging the European Commission to present a draft Council Decision on a common proposal of the EU to subject textile waste to the stricter control mechanisms of the Basel Convention.
Subjecting all textile waste to the control mechanisms of the Basel Convention, and more specifically requiring prior written notification and consent for shipments of non-hazardous textile waste, could undermine all textile value chain circular economy efforts and risk that reusable and recyclable textiles are instead incinerated or landfilled.
The real problem that requires our urgent attention is not the shipment of textile waste but shipments where textile waste is disguised as used clothing and sent outside the controls of the waste regime. Amending the Basel Convention codes will not put an end to this horrible practice.
To ensure that only second-hand textiles and not textile waste are sent outside the waste regime, it is of utmost importance to establish a detailed sorting process before any shipment outside Europe.
Our Foundation strongly supports the establishment of sorting criteria to ensure that only second-hand textiles are sent out of the waste regime, to be reused and meet the requirements of the final destination.
The statement from Denmark, France and Sweden notes that "[in] 2019, 1.7 million tonnes of textile [waste] were exported outside the EU" but overlooks that this figure does not differentiate between shipments of high-quality used clothing. reusable quality and textile waste.
For this reason, Humana Fundación Pueblo para Pueblo urges the Government of Spain and the European Commission not to change the codes of the Basel Convention in a way that puts an end to any circular economy efforts of the European textile reuse and recycling industry by increasing the administrative burden without solving the real problem.
See Humana's full Position Paper on this link
