Around 4,600 tons of new clothing, which corresponds to 600 truck loads, ended up in the garbage in Austria last year. This included 1.31 million return packages with clothing, and 120,000 packages with electronic devices were also scrapped.
It is common practice in the industry to destroy returned goods from online orders and goods that could not be sold. Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) called this an “incredible and absurd waste of our valuable resources and our energy” in a press conference on Friday. She announced measures to curb the practice going forward.
The minister is following a suggestion by the climate council. This was occupied by the ministry with randomly selected citizens from all regions of Austria. The aim was to collect suggestions from the population for climate protection.
Development starts in December
One of the proposals of the climate council, which was handed over to the federal government in mid-2022, was the ban on the destruction of new goods, which Gewessler has now put up for discussion. Upper Austria’s Environment Councilor Stefan Kaineder (Greens) also spoke out in favor of the ban at a joint press conference on Friday. He criticized the throwaway practices of large online corporations. “An intolerable situation, these developments must clearly be stopped,” said Kaineder.
The process of drafting a ban or similar measure is expected to start in early December. Representatives of the textile and electronics trade, interest groups, representatives of civil society, charitable institutions and science have already been invited.
The press conference took place on the premises of the Association for the Promotion of Work and Employment (FAB) in Linz. Used IT devices are processed there together with the partner company CC4 and then, depending on their condition, resold or used for recycling or disposal. In addition, people are reintegrated into the labor market there. According to Kaineder, “the exact opposite of a careless waste of resources”, which combines economy, sustainability and social commitment in an exemplary manner.
Video: Joint press conference by Leonore Gewessler and Stefan Kaineder:
Source: Nachrichten
