Brussels estimates that the 27-nation bloc generates 60 million tonnes of food waste a year -- or 131 kilograms per person. That represents a loss of some 132 billion euros ($144 billion).
The main goal of the new legislation is to slash food waste -- and by extension the amount of water, fertiliser and energy used to produce, transform and store food that ends up being thrown away.
Parliament rapporteur Anna Zalewska said "targeted solutions" to reduce food waste could include promoting so-called "ugly" fruit and vegetables, clarifying date labelling and donating unsold-but-consumable food.
The proposal also creates new obligations for the textile sector, with producers required to foot the bill for collecting, sorting and recycling clothing, but also everything from carpets to mattresses, under the responsibility of member states.
Less than one percent of textiles worldwide are recycled at present, the EU says, with 12.6 million tonnes of textile waste generated in the bloc each year.
Part of the EU's environmental "Green Deal" drive, the proposal won the backing of 514 lawmakers, with 20 voting against and 91 abstentions -- and will now be put before member states for negotiation.
The headline food waste cuts are more ambitious than those eyed by the European Commission when it first put forward the proposal last year -- and lawmakers want an even higher goal of 50 percent to be considered for 2035.
Lawmakers also backed higher waste reduction targets in food processing and manufacturing, doubled from 10 to 20 percent by 2035.
Related Links
Our Polluted World and Cleaning It Up
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
