Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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140. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his views on the European Parliament and Council recent agreement on new measures to prevent and reduce waste from food and textiles in EU member states and the next steps Ireland will take to work towards the goals of reducing food and textile waste. [10590/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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My Department welcomes the recent announcement that the Council presidency and European Parliament representatives reached a provisional agreement on the targeted revision of the Waste Framework Directive with regard to food waste and textiles. It will set EU targets for food waste reduction by 2030 and introduce measures towards a more sustainable textile sector. I note that the agreement is yet to be confirmed by both institutions before going through the formal adoption procedure.

Tackling food waste is one of the key steps we can take to achieve sustainability, to help combat climate change, and to support the transition to a circular economy and bioeconomy and my Department continues to progress Ireland's National Food Waste Prevention Roadmap 2023-2025.

The outcome of the current process in relation to the targeted revision of the Waste Framework Directive will inform the direction of a number of key actions in the Roadmap. This will also inform the preparation of the next iteration of the National Food Waste Prevention Roadmap which will be published on a statutory basis in accordance with the Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022.

In relation to textiles, the proposed extended producer responsibility scheme for textiles will be an effective measure to strengthen our treatment of textile waste in line with the waste hierarchy and circular economy principles. It will create an incentive to reduce waste and increase the circularity of textile products – designing better products from the start.

This legislative development will support delivery of a number of Ireland’s circular economy policy commitments and builds on our ambition to further prevent the generation of food waste, and to achieve more circular and sustainable practices in the textile industry.