Clampdown on fast fashion in EU sights

Strasbourg - EU lawmakers voted Wednesday to toughen rules on textile waste linked to so-called "fast-fashion".

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.

Lawmakers also backed higher waste reduction targets in food processing and manufacturing, doubled from 10 to 20 percent by 2035.(AFP)