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國際時事跟讀VIP Ep.K671: Fast Fashion Brands Prepare for EU's Push to Tackle Clothing Waste
Highlights 摘要：
- European fashion industry is facing a mounting challenge of clothing waste. Despite efforts, only a fraction of clothing is recycled, necessitating urgent change.
- Fast fashion brands like Inditex are responding to EU initiatives by investing in recycling and sustainability goals, though overconsumption remains a significant issue.
- To achieve the EU's ambitious recycling targets, substantial investment and innovation are needed in textile waste processing, along with changes in consumer behavior.
On the outskirts of Barcelona, a warehouse hums with activity as women diligently sort through piles of used clothing, including T-shirts, jeans, and dresses. This modest operation represents just the beginning of a broader effort to address Europe's mounting problem of discarded fashion. In response to new European Union (EU) initiatives aimed at curbing the fashion industry's environmental impact, organizations like Moda Re, a garment reuse and recycling charity, are ramping up their efforts to recycle and repurpose clothing. Within a year, Moda Re plans to double its annual handling capacity to 40,000 metric tonnes, with support from companies like Inditex, the owner of Zara.
在巴塞羅那市郊，一座倉庫充滿了活力，女性們正在勤奮地分類使用過的衣物，包括T恤、牛仔褲和洋裝。這個謙卑的運作僅代表了一個更廣泛的努力的開始，以應對歐洲積壓的廢棄時尚問題。為應對針對時尚業環境影響的新歐洲聯盟（EU）倡議，像Moda Re這樣的服裝重複使用和再利用慈善機構正在加大努力，以回收和重新利用服裝。在一年內，Moda Re計劃將其年處理能力翻倍，達到4萬公噸，得到了像Zara的所有者Inditex等公司的支持。
In Spain, fashion giants such as H&M, Mango, and Inditex have come together to form a non-profit association to manage clothing waste. This collaborative effort aligns with an EU law requiring member states to separate textiles from other waste beginning in January 2025. Despite these initiatives, the European Commission reported that less than a quarter of the 5.2 million tonnes of clothing waste generated in Europe is recycled each year, with the remainder ending up in landfills. This unsustainable practice underscores the urgent need for change in the textile industry.
在西班牙，像H&M、Mango和Inditex這樣的時尚巨頭已經聯合組成一個非營利協會來管理服裝廢棄物。這種協作努力符合一項EU法律，該法律要求自2025年1月開始，成員國必須將紡織品與其他廢棄物分開處理。儘管有這些倡議，歐洲委員會報告稱，歐洲每年產生的520萬公噸衣物廢棄物中，不到四分之一被回收利用，其餘的最終進入垃圾填埋場。這種不可持續的做法凸顯了紡織業迫切需要改變的需求。
Fast fashion, characterized by the production and sale of low-cost clothing with short lifespans, has been identified as a major contributor to climate change and environmental damage by the EU. Inditex, for instance, has pledged to incorporate 40% recycled fibers into its garments by 2030 as part of its sustainability goals. However, addressing the core issue of overconsumption remains a significant challenge, according to Dijana Lind, an ESG analyst at Union Investment.
快時尚以生產和銷售壽命短的低價衣物為特徵，被EU識別為導致氣候變化和環境破壞的主要因素。例如，Inditex已承諾在2030年之前將40％的回收纖維納入其服裝中，作為可持續性目標的一部分。然而，根據Union Investment的ESG分析師Dijana Lind的說法，解決過度消費的核心問題仍然是一個重大挑戰。
Meeting the EU's ambitious goal of recycling 2.5 million tonnes of textile waste by 2030 requires substantial investment. Consultancy firm McKinsey estimates that between 6 and 7 billion euros will be needed for textile waste processing and recycling infrastructure. While some progress has been made, there is consensus that more must be done. Companies like Inditex have taken steps by investing in recycling initiatives, but the road ahead is marked by obstacles, including the development of cost-effective recycling techniques and the need to change consumer behavior.
實現EU到2030年回收250萬公噸紡織廢棄物的宏偉目標需要大量投資。管理顧問公司麥肯錫估計，到2030年，紡織廢棄物處理和回收基礎設施將需要約60億到70億歐元的投資。雖然已經取得了一些進展，但共識是必須做更多。像Inditex這樣的公司已經採取了投資回收倡議的措施，但前路充滿了障礙，包括開發具有成本效益的回收技術和改變消費者行為的需求。
In conclusion, as the EU intensifies its focus on reducing clothing waste and promoting sustainability in the fashion industry, companies are taking steps to adapt. These efforts include increased recycling capacity, collaboration among major fashion players, and investment in technology and market interventions. Nevertheless, significant challenges lie ahead in achieving the EU's ambitious targets for textile waste reduction and recycled content in garments. The fashion industry faces a pressing need for increased innovation and consumer awareness to create a more sustainable future.
總之，隨著EU加大減少服裝廢棄物並在時尚業中推廣可持續性的重心，公司正在采取措施適應。這些努力包括增加回收能力、主要時尚企業之間的協作以及投資技術和市場干預。然而，實現EU對紡織廢棄物減少和服裝中回收內容的宏偉目標仍然面臨著重大挑戰。時尚業迫切需要增加創新和消費者意識，以創建更可持續的未來。
Keyword Drills 關鍵字：
- Discarded (Dis-car-ded): This modest operation represents just the beginning of a broader effort to address Europe's mounting problem of discarded fashion.
- Consultancy (Con-sul-tan-cy): Between 6 and 7 billion euros of investment will be needed by 2030 to create the scale of textile waste processing and recycling that the EU is aiming for, consultancy McKinsey estimated in a report last year.
- Infrastructure (In-fra-struc-ture): Consultancy firm McKinsey estimates that between 6 and 7 billion euros will be needed for textile waste processing and recycling infrastructure.
- Collaboration (Col-lab-o-ra-tion): These efforts include increased recycling capacity, collaboration among major fashion players, and investment in technology and market interventions.
- Overconsumption (O-ver-con-sump-tion): "The main problem is that we are facing overconsumption," said Dijana Lind, ESG analyst at Union Investment.
Reference article: https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/fast-fashion-firms-prepare-eu-crackdown-waste-mountain-2023-09-01/