‘Polluter pays’ doctrine will take on new meaning

CJ CheilJedang

03/01/2024 14:26

(The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist.  The opinions
expressed are her own.)
    By Lisa Jucca
       MILAN, Jan 3 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Carbon-intensive
throwaway fashion and ubiquitous plastic waste are dirtying the
globe. That may change as governments start to crack down on
discarded textiles and polymer-based items. Companies and their
investors face a costlier journey to a more sustainable world.
    Full view will be published shortly.
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    CONTEXT NEWS
    The European Union and California want to introduce
legislation aimed at forcing fashion companies to produce and
discard textiles in a more sustainable way.
    The European Commission, the EU’s executive, proposed in
July that fashion companies either collect a
gradually increasing percentage of clothes, linen or shoes or
pay a fee towards the cost of managing waste. 
    Global plastic waste generation reached 353 million metric
tons in 2019, more than double that in 2000, according to the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Around
40% of plastic waste comes from packaging, 12% from consumer
goods and 11% from clothing and textiles.

 (Editing by Francesco Guerrera and Streisand Neto)
 ((For previous columns by the author, Reuters customers can
click on  JUCCA/  | lisa.jucca@thomsonreuters.com ; Reuters
Messaging: lisa.jucca.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))