Recital (50)

Exports of used textile products assessed as fit for re-use and waste textiles to destinations outside the Union have been steadily increasing, with exports representing the greatest share of the re-use market for post-consumer textiles generated in the Union. In view of the expected significant increase in collected waste textiles after the introduction of separate collection by 2025, it is important for the purpose of ensuring high environmental protection to strengthen the efforts to combat illegal shipments of waste to third countries disguised as non-waste. Building on Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 of the European Parliament and of the Council and with a view to ensuring the sustainable management of post-consumer textiles and tackling illegal shipments of waste, it should be provided that all separately collected used textile, textile-related and footwear products undergo a sorting operation prior to their shipment. Furthermore, it should be provided that all separately collected used textile, textile-related and footwear products be regarded as waste and subject to Union waste legislation, including Union legislation on the shipment of waste, until they have undergone a sorting operation by an operator trained in sorting for re-use and recycling who can classify them as fit for re-use. The sorting should be carried out in accordance with the harmonised sorting requirements that deliver high-quality re-usable fraction that meet the needs of the recipient second-hand textile markets in the Union and globally and by establishing criteria to distinguish between used goods assessed as fit for re-use and waste. Shipments of used textile, textile-related and footwear products assessed as fit for re-use should be accompanied by information demonstrating that those items are the output of a sorting or a preparing for re-use operation, as well as information about the company responsible for this operation with a view to increasing transparency and accountability of the process, and that the items are suitable for re-use. Producer responsibility organisations as well as social economy entities should report on the export of waste textile, textile-related and footwear products and on the export of used textile, textile-related and footwear products assessed as fit for re-use, allowing Member States to monitor such exports with a view to better understanding the textile value chain.