{"id":1390,"date":"2026-04-16T08:42:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T08:42:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/old.tekstilretur.dk\/?post_type=vidensunivers&p=1390"},"modified":"2026-04-16T09:55:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T09:55:15","slug":"epr-for-textiles-in-denmark-get-an-overview-of-what-we-know-and-dont-know-right-now","status":"publish","type":"vidensunivers","link":"https:\/\/old.tekstilretur.dk\/en\/vidensunivers\/epr-for-textiles-in-denmark-get-an-overview-of-what-we-know-and-dont-know-right-now\/","title":{"rendered":"EPR for textiles in Denmark: Get an overview of what we know \u2013 and don’t know \u2013 right now"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row el_id=”viden-hdr” css=”.vc_custom_1776331846258{background-image: url(https:\/\/old.tekstilretur.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Billede1-1.jpg?id=1346) !important;}”][vc_column][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1771357489785{padding-top: 100px !important;padding-bottom: 140px !important;}” el_class=”wrapper”][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”EPR for textiles in Denmark: Get an overview of what we know \u2013 and don’t know \u2013 right now” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”100px”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row el_class=”container” el_id=”viden-content”][vc_column][vc_row_inner el_class=”wrapper”][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Guide” font_container=”tag:p|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” el_class=”label”][vc_custom_heading text=”At least 4,000 Danish companies will face a new legal requirement within the next few years: they will be required to pay for the management of their textiles when they become waste. This is the consequence of the EU’s new producer responsibility for textiles, which entered into force in October 2025, and which Denmark is expected to implement by April 2028 at the latest. The rules are on their way, but many details are still missing. Here is an overview of what we know, what remains unresolved – and what it means for your business.” font_container=”tag:div|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” el_class=”manchet”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]\n

At least 4,000 Danish companies will face a new legal requirement within the next few years: they will be required to pay for the management of their textiles when they become waste. This is the consequence of the EU’s new producer responsibility for textiles, which entered into force in October 2025, and which Denmark is expected to implement by April 2028 at the latest. The rules are on their way, but many details are still missing. Here is an overview of what we know, what remains unresolved \u2013 and what it means for your business.<\/p>\n

The idea behind producer responsibility is simple: whoever places a product or packaging on the market also bears responsibility for what happens to it when it becomes waste. This is a direct expression of the polluter pays principle, and it is not new in an EU context.<\/p>\n

We already know it from producer responsibility for electronics (introduced in Denmark in 2005), batteries (2009), packaging (2025), and fishing equipment and single-use plastics (2024).<\/p>\n

Every time the EU has introduced producer responsibility in a new area, the logic has been the same: those who place a product on the market have the ability to influence its design in ways that ensure better use of resources, reduced material consumption, and a shift towards more environmentally friendly materials.<\/p>\n

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The potential is enormous \u2013 and the need is real<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For textiles, pressure has been building for years. The textile sector is the fourth most environmentally damaging sector in the EU, after food, construction, and transport – and consumption is growing.<\/p>\n

A 2023 study by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency shows that Danish textile consumption increased by 36% between 2016 and 2021. In 2021, before separate collection requirements came into force, only 2,000 of the 116,000 tonnes of textiles placed on the Danish market were collected separately for recycling.<\/p>\n

This is the context in which the EU’s decision must be understood.<\/p>\n

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The EU legal basis: from strategy to directive<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The formal foundation for producer responsibility for textiles is the revised Waste Directive, adopted by the European Parliament and the Council, which entered into force on 16 October 2025 (Directive EU 2025\/1892). The directive requires all EU countries to establish national producer responsibility organisations for textiles and footwear.<\/p>\n

The directive is the endpoint of a process that began with the EU Textile Strategy in March 2022, which placed the circular economy in the textile sector on the political agenda, and which has been under negotiation since 2023 as a targeted revision of the Waste Directive.<\/p>\n

A central element of the directive is environmental modulation. This means that the contributions producers pay for their textile waste are modulated with bonuses and penalties based on the environmental profile of their products: products designed for longevity, ease of repair, or containing recycled materials attract lower contributions than products that are difficult to recycle and have a limited lifespan. The aim is to make it financially worthwhile to design better products rather than simply financing the waste management of poor ones.<\/p>\n

The directive also sets out a framework under which the European Commission must, by the end of 2029, evaluate the organisations and assess whether specific targets for collection, reuse, and recycling should be set. Such targets are not yet included in the directive itself, as the data basis is considered insufficient.<\/p>\n

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The Danish timeline<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There is a specific process for transposing an EU directive into Danish legislation.<\/p>\n

Denmark has 20 months to implement the directive into national law, and a further 10 months to have producer responsibility organisations operational. This gives the following timeline:<\/p>\n