Approved in June 2023 (effective July 2024), applied across the EU.

• This law expands the EU’s Ecodesign requirements to include textiles, requiring clothing to be durable, repairable, upgradable and recyclable.
• It mandates minimum recycled content in new garments and introduces a Digital Product Passport for textiles (a QR-code linked database of a product’s materials and sustainability data).
• In practice, fast-fashion brands will need to redesign products for longevity and circularity; companies selling in the EU will face strict design standards and traceability requirements, pushing the industry toward sustainable materials and business models .

Adopted in December 2022 (phased in 2024–28), applied in the EU.

The CSRD requires large companies (250+ employees or listed firms) to disclose extensive environmental, social and governance (ESG) information.

• Fashion and textile companies must report on greenhouse gas emissions, supply chain impacts, labor practices and other sustainability metrics.
• By increasing transparency, CSRD forces brands to account publicly for fast-fashion impacts (e.g. CO₂ output, waste).
• This heightened accountability is expected to pressure companies to adopt greener practices and supply-chain reforms, as non-compliance or poor performance will be visible to regulators and consumers

EU Waste Shipment Regulation – Enforced May 2024 (EU-wide).

• This regulation enforces much stricter controls on exporting waste, including textile waste, outside the EU.
• It bars shipments of plastic waste to non-OECD countries from November 2026 (unless rigorous conditions are met) and requires non-EU waste-importing countries to prove they can handle it safely.
• For the fashion sector, this means used clothing and scraps can no longer be cheaply dumped in developing countries;
• Instead EU collectors and recyclers must process more waste domestically.
• The rule is designed to prevent environmental dumping of fast-fashion waste abroad and to encourage Europe’s recycling infrastructure.
• The EU’s new waste shipment rules make it much harder to export textile waste irresponsibly.
• By forcing brands and exporters to manage waste in environmentally sound ways, it incentivizes reuse and recycling within the EU and curbs the “throwaway” mentality of fast fashion.

Approved June 2024, to be implemented by 2027, EU-wide.

• The CSDDD imposes mandatory human-rights and environmental due diligence obligations on large companies (EU or non-EU with >500 employees or high turnover).
• Fashion brands must identify, prevent and remedy adverse environmental and social impacts throughout their operations and supply chains (including pollution, deforestation, worker abuses).
• Non-compliant firms face legal liability and fines.
• In effect, this law holds garment producers legally responsible for issues like toxic dyes or forced labor in overseas factories.
• It is expected to push fashion companies to actively eliminate harmful inputs (e.g. certain chemicals) and to vet suppliers, making the industry’s global footprint more sustainable

Provisional agreement reached Feb. 2025 (pending formal adoption), EU-wide.

• The targeted revision of the Waste Framework Directive introduces harmonized Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes for textiles.
• All EU Member States will require fashion producers to finance textile collection and recycling.
• Crucially, fees for brands will depend on a product’s durability and recyclability, and governments may charge higher fees for ultra-fast-fashion items.
• This “polluter pays” approach means fast-fashion companies will bear the cost of waste.
• It is expected to drive down overproduction: brands will design longer-lasting garments to reduce fees, and supply chains will shift toward circular models (repair services, resale, recycling) to comply with EPR targets

Approved January 2020, in effect Jan. 2022 (France).

• Under this national law, destroying unsold non-food goods (including clothing and textiles) is forbidden.
• Producers, importers and retailers must instead donate, recycle or repurpose unsold garments.
• By outlawing wasteful destruction and mandating secondary markets, France’s law forces companies to tighten inventory management and embrace circular practices (such as redistribution or recycling) instead of write-offs.
• It is expected to reduce millions of euros of waste annually and make the fashion supply chain more efficient and socially responsible.

Passed in 2020 (official decree), effective Jan. 1, 2025.

• This law requires that all new washing machines sold in France must include an effective filter for plastic microfibers.
• Its goal is to capture synthetic fibers shed during laundry before they pollute water bodies.
• By stopping an estimated 500 tonnes of microplastic release per year, the law addresses one key environmental impact of synthetic apparel.
• While not a clothing label or tax, it indirectly pressures the fashion industry: brands know that filters will become standard across Europe soon, reducing the appeal of ultra-shed-y synthetic fabrics, and consumers may favor lower-shedding materials as pollution becomes more visible.

• Requires companies with over 3,000 employees (lowered to 1,000 in 2024) to identify, prevent, and address human rights and environmental risks within their global supply chains.
• This includes monitoring direct and indirect suppliers for forced labor, unsafe working conditions, environmental pollution, and child labor.
• Companies must implement risk management systems, conduct regular risk analyses, and publicly report on their compliance.
• While it does not impose civil liability, it allows for fines and exclusion from public procurement for violations.
• It affecs fashion giants like Adidas, Hugo Boss, and beauty companies with global operations.

• In June 2024, Germany’s highest court ruled that brands can no longer advertise products as “climate neutral” without clearly explaining how, whether through actual emissions reductions or carbon offsetting.
• Requires companies to include this explanation directly in their ads, not hidden behind QR codes or external links.
• This landmark case strengthens protections against greenwashing and directly impacts fashion and beauty brands using vague sustainability claims in their marketing.