With a new European Union-wide ban on throwing away textiles taking effect this year, Sweden's recycling facilities are overflowing with clothing. Overwhelmed by this incident, local communities are urging major fast-fashion companies to take responsibility.

Though the ban aimed to promote circular waste management by sorting and reusing clothes, or recycling them into materials like padding or insulation, however, Sweden's recycling system can't handle the volume. As a result, most of the used clothing is shipped overseas, mainly to Lithuania, for sorting, recycling, or energy production.

The Swedish Society for the Conservation of Nature reports, Swedes discard 90,000 tons of textiles each year - about 22 pounds per person. According to the European Environment Agency, in EU, this has increased from 37 pounds in 2019 to 42 pounds in 2022.

In Sweden, in charge of textile sorting, many local governments are struggling with the increased amounts they're receiving. Some places in the less populated north are still burning textiles because there aren't any buyers for them.

There's a growing expectation that fast-fashion giants like Zara and H&M will eventually have to help manage the waste they create. Discussions are underway at the European level to determine how these companies will be held accountable.

According to a preliminary agreement reached by EU members in February, clothing companies will be responsible for the end-of-life of the products they sell. This means they'll have to pay for the collection, sorting, reuse, and recycling of those items.