Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 October 2023
41. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the steps being taken to introduce the EU Textile EPR Directive of July 2023 for fashion brands in Ireland; whether retailers and producers will be encouraged to work with social enterprise and charitable companies primarily to deliver on the intention to extend the lifetime of textiles; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44068/23]
View answer42. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the progress that has been made in relation to the measures set out in the A Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy Ireland’s National Waste Policy 2020-2025 in relation to developing a separate collection framework proposals which would take account of the potential global impacts of the international trade in used textiles and whether any consultation has been had with Ireland’s recycled textile collection operators. [44074/23]
View answer43. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the regulations that exist to regulate the distribution, location and operation of textile collection banks [44075/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 41, 42 and 43 together.
Textiles is a key priority area for action to realise this Government’s circular economy ambitions. The Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy, 2020-2025 (WAPCE) establishes our policy commitments to tackle the environmental degradation caused by textiles, in close collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
In 2022, my department established a Textile Advisory Group as a sub-group of the broader Waste Advisory Group, bringing together relevant expertise from industry, community and regulatory bodies. Operating under an external chair, the Group has been asked to identify key opportunities for Government to promote, facilitate and enable circularity in the textiles’ ecosystem and examine the way in which textiles are designed, produced, used and discarded, moving away from a linear economy to a just, sustainable and circular textile industry. Stakeholders involved in the work of the group include those from the social enterprise/charity sector as well as textile recyclers operating in Ireland and retailers. Full information on the work of the Textile Advisory Group can be found at gov.ie (www.gov.ie/en/policy-information/528f7-circular-economy/#textiles).
The work of the sub-group is also helping to inform Ireland’s negotiating position on the proposal for a revision of the Waste Framework Directive. On 05 July 2023, the European Commission published its proposal for targeted amendments to that directive with respect to both food waste and textiles. The proposed revisions aim to introduce a mandatory and harmonised EU wide Extended Producer Responsibility scheme for textile waste, supporting the EU requirement to have a separate collection of textiles in place by 01 January 2025, however, negotiations on the legal instrument are yet to begin in earnest.
Feedback from all members of our Textiles Advisory Group on a proposed EPR for textiles in Ireland was invited and received. At this very early stage of the negotiations, my Department has submitted high level comments only on the proposal but will be fully engaged as discussions progress in the coming months.
Regarding the separate collection of textiles, and within the framework of the Textile Advisory Group, the Local Authority Sector is leading a sub-working group on Post-Use Textiles. This group includes representation from the social enterprise, charity and textile collection operators. Given the importance of our textile banks in the orderly management of used textiles, I understand that their role and regulation will also be considered within the work of that sub-working group. Those deliberations are on-going, but I expect to receive recommendations from the Textile Advisory Group process before the end of the year.
