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EU ban on destruction of unsold clothes and shoes enters into application

environment.ec.europa.eu

191–200 of 322 posts

Re: EU ban on destruction of unsold clothes and shoes enters into application

#191
post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1. Come up with a regulation idea 2. do a bunch of studies to validate it 3. go through a pretty complicated, comprehensive, pretty long review process to debate and make it work within the existing regulatory system 4. eventually implement it 5. measure its impact 6. adapt or revoke according to the results We are at the 4th step. Why would you assume your concerns haven’t been already taken in account in all the pr…

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I have no idea what you’re responding to. I don’t see how your comment has anything to do with mine

Re: EU ban on destruction of unsold clothes and shoes enters into application

#192
post #66
post #58

I don’t understand why they would ban this rather than charge for it. It seems very likely that destroying unsold clothes is sometimes the socially efficient thing to do, even after taking into account the environmental externalities.

Because it promotes recycling instead of being another tax.

A tax would also promote recycling, since that would avoid the tax?

Re: EU ban on destruction of unsold clothes and shoes enters into application

#193
post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This whole story that Europe suffers from overregulation is just in parts true, and mainly lazy thinking. In fact there was a study by an American law school that came to the conclusion that the US has more bureaucracy than many European countries… Recommended read: https://www.andybudd.com/archives/2026/04/the-lazy-myth-that...

You haven’t dealt with German bureaucracy then.

Spoken as a German or as an American?

Re: EU ban on destruction of unsold clothes and shoes enters into application

#194
post #71
post #58

I don’t understand why they would ban this rather than charge for it. It seems very likely that destroying unsold clothes is sometimes the socially efficient thing to do, even after taking into account the environmental externalities.

Destroying unsold clothes is financially the most efficient thing to do. It remains unclear to me how taking actions to maintain higher markups on products would be socially efficient in any way. Companies of course can keep doing it, they just will face financial and legislative repercussions for it.

If you can't sell clothes to anyone, then it may be more socially efficient to destroy them than (a) keep them in a warehouse or (b) ship them overseas. Both (a) and (b) can have substantial environmental costs. I don't think it should be hard to come up with other plausible cases. You're assuming there's only one reason companies do this. I don't deny that that's a possible reason. I also don't see why taxing that behaviour would not reduce it.

Re: EU ban on destruction of unsold clothes and shoes enters into application

#195

> To prevent misuse, businesses relying on these exemptions must provide proof (e.g. documents or test results) and publish annual reports on what they have discarded. I wonder if anybody is keeping track of everything a mid size business needs to take care of. Each particular report probably sounds like a reasonable request, but by now they're probably well into hundreds, and they're all outside the actual scope of…

Socialist micromanaging you say? You should see what those maniacs do with there farmers. The job has literally turned into bureaucrat who ocassionally works a field as hobby.

Re: EU ban on destruction of unsold clothes and shoes enters into application

#196

> To prevent misuse, businesses relying on these exemptions must provide proof (e.g. documents or test results) and publish annual reports on what they have discarded. I wonder if anybody is keeping track of everything a mid size business needs to take care of. Each particular report probably sounds like a reasonable request, but by now they're probably well into hundreds, and they're all outside the actual scope of…

Socialist micromanaging you say? You should see what those maniacs do with there farmers. The job has literally turned into bureaucrat who ocassionally works a field as hobby.

Most of the EU budget goes to agricultural subsidies, the least we can expect of them is to keep their books orderly

Re: EU ban on destruction of unsold clothes and shoes enters into application

#197
post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The EU is doing everything it can to fail. The only thing that seems to be coming out of the EU in the last 20 years is regulation. It seems to be its only invention and contribution to itself. They have no upper bounds on creativity when it comes to creating rules that disrupt business. I can't tell if this is coming from jealousy or incompetence—or perhaps a combination of both. They see the rest of the world, espe…

You're arguing in favor of destroying unworn clothes instead of donating to charity or discounting them as somehow being good for business? The point of this is to control against wasteful business practices, not a ban on producing or selling clothes. The EU is a $23 trillion economy, hardly a slouch even though it is underperforming. The VW example is actually something you probably don't understand - they're failin…

I agree that VW is mostly responsible for its own demise, they got too comfortable with their success and soon would be the blackberry of car manufacturers.

Re: EU ban on destruction of unsold clothes and shoes enters into application

#198

> To prevent misuse, businesses relying on these exemptions must provide proof (e.g. documents or test results) and publish annual reports on what they have discarded. I wonder if anybody is keeping track of everything a mid size business needs to take care of. Each particular report probably sounds like a reasonable request, but by now they're probably well into hundreds, and they're all outside the actual scope of…

Socialist micromanaging you say? You should see what those maniacs do with there farmers. The job has literally turned into bureaucrat who ocassionally works a field as hobby.

Well yes, farming in European Union is pretty much eu-funded hobby. For good reasons of course (food security etc), but if European protectionism and donations were gone, farmers would be much worse off.

Re: EU ban on destruction of unsold clothes and shoes enters into application

#199
post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The "regulation kills businesses" saying is often (not always) exactly right.

Is it? What is the proof for that? I think we've seen time and time again that self-regulation of the industry doesn't work and that businesses will gladly fuck over society if they can get away with it and make more money. Usually that behavior is even defended with saying "Well, it's not their responsibility to solve society's issues. They are there to make money." Barring nationalization of an industry, heavy regu…

»If some businesses get killed in the process, so be it.«

The problem with this attitude is that the rest of the world often doesn’t have these strict regulations and as result, businesses aren’t killed but just leaving the country.

Re: EU ban on destruction of unsold clothes and shoes enters into application

#200

I’m pretty sure all those brands would now export those clothes to non-EU Balkan countries or even Turkey to be destroyed.

Why do you assume that the entire EU has brain damage and did not think of this _most obvious_ loophole? Sure the companies could commit crimes but if that is enough of a reason not to pass laws then we better start striking murder of the books as well. The EU cannot control every avenue you might be sneaking products out for destruction. The goal is not to prevent all sort of destruction, just make it risky enough n…

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