Instead of discarding stock, companies are encouraged to manage their stock more effectively, handle returns, and explore alternatives such as resale, remanufacturing, donations, or reuse.
The ban on destruction of unsold apparel, clothing accessories and footwear and the derogations will apply to large companies from 19 July 2026. Medium-sized companies are expected to follow in 2030. The rules on disclosure under the ESPR already apply to large companies and will also apply to medium-sized companies in 2030.
Laws can only effectively bind international companies if they’re applied internationally. So long as I can just move the problem out of your jurisdiction, that jurisdiction is little more than an inconvenience.
On the other hand, just doing nothing because it won’t work anyway isn’t viable either. I guess the best thing to hope for would be for more countries to follow suit until they’re running out of places to dodge to.