The sustainable future of fashion in fast fashion: extended producer responsibility

Fast fashion has transformed the way we dress and consume. Cheap, mass-produced garments designed to last only a short time have democratised fashion, but they have also created an environmental problem of colossal proportions. Every year Europe produces six million tonnes of textile waste, equivalent to eleven kilos per inhabitant. In Spain, 23 kilos per person.

The whirlwind of fast fashion results in mountains of used clothing that are very difficult to manage. 

The textile sector is not marginal: it contributes almost 3% to Spanish GDP and accounts for 3.7% of employment, according to data from the Textile and Fashion Observatory. There are more than 17,000 companies, mostly SMEs, which make up a diverse and fragmented business fabric. Precisely because of its economic and social weight, this sector cannot be left out of the transition towards a circular economy.

At this point, the question is clear: how can the competitiveness of Spanish fashion be made compatible with the environmental responsibility demanded by the 21st century?

The answer may lie in the new Directive (EU) 2025/1892 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 September 2025, amending Directive 2008/98/EC on waste, published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 29 September 2025, and which is largely reflected in the text of the Draft Royal Decree on textile and footwear products and the management of their waste, which closed its public consultation in September and which aims to apply an extended producer responsibility (EPR) regime to textiles and footwear. In other words: whoever puts the garment on the market must be responsible for the end of its useful life.

EPR entails very specific organisational and financial obligations: registration in the Product Producers' Register, annual reporting of the quantities placed on the market, financing of separate collection and treatment of waste, consumer awareness campaigns and, ultimately, coverage of all costs arising from the management of this waste. The principle behind the regulation is unequivocal: the polluter pays. But the interesting thing is that this economic logic can become a lever for innovation and competitiveness, if companies know how to anticipate.

One of the most disruptive aspects is the ban on the destruction of unsold surplus products, which will be channelled towards reuse, donation or, failing that, recycling. The future regulatory standard sets the following separate collection and recycling targets: by 2030 at least 50% of waste generated and by 2035 at least 70%. And the following targets for preparing for re-use: by 2030 at least 20% and by 2035 at least 35%.

By 2028, shops of more than 400 square metres should clearly and prominently inform customers about how to separate their textile waste, about the availability of second-hand or recycled products, and about the recycled content of the items sold.

Producers' financial contributions to the EPR system will be modulated according to eco-design: costs will depend on criteria such as recyclability, ease of disassembly, increased durability or use of recycled materials. Conversely, models associated with "fast fashion" will pay more. This opens up a fundamental debate: regulation is no longer limited to punishing non-compliance, but is beginning to reward those who are committed to circular design.

The challenge is enormous. The textile and footwear sector is facing a paradigm shift. It is no longer just a question of managing waste well, but of transforming the production model of fashion. Fast fashion is in direct tension with a legal framework that demands durability, circularity and responsibility.