The Waste Framework Directive, proposed by the European Commission, sets the EU-wide rules for waste prevention, management, and the promotion of reuse and circularity. It complements broader EU environmental and circular economy legislation and provides a key framework to reduce textile waste and advance sustainability. A coherent and proportionate regulatory approach is essential to ensure legal certainty for platforms, businesses, and consumers, particularly in light of interactions with other EU instruments such as the Circular Economy Act.
This is why we support the overall ambition of the WFD to reduce waste, encourage reuse, and promote a more sustainable Single Market. At the same time, we believe it is essential that the implementation of the Directive recognises the operational specificities of online classifieds marketplaces, particularly their intermediary role, the strong local dimension of transactions, and the predominance of consumer-to-consumer second-hand exchanges, where platforms neither own nor control the products traded.
For this to be achieved, CME considers that policymakers should prioritise the following when finalising and implementing the Directive:
- Preserve the exemption of commercial reuse operators, micro-enterprises, and social economy actors from EPR obligations.
- Maintain the Commission’s original definition of “making available on the market” to ensure legal certainty across Member States.
- Structure regulatory obligations in a way that facilitates, rather than discourages, reuse and circular economy practices
