EU Regulations

Four frameworks. One compliance module.

ESPR, CSRD/ESRS E5, WFD and Green Claims — mapped, quantified and turned into an audit-ready record on every operation.

Regulatory framework

Four regulations. One compliance module answers all of them.

From Jul 2026

ESPR — Destruction ban

Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 — Delegated Act C(2026) 660

EU law prohibits the destruction of unsold textiles, footwear and accessories. Large operators must publicly disclose volumes destroyed, reasons and subsequent handling.

Zerow — every unsold unit routed to the highest-value channel, with a documented audit trail ready for reporting.

Disclosure

CSRD / ESRS E5

Resource use & circular economy

Mandatory disclosure of material inflows, outflows and circular strategies for in-scope companies, audited alongside financial reporting.

Zerow — quantitative outputs by channel, ready to plug into ESRS E5 disclosures.

Evidence

Green Claims Directive

Substantiating environmental claims

Environmental claims must be backed by verifiable evidence, with penalties for greenwashing across marketing and product communication.

Zerow — certified data on avoided CO₂, water and waste per operation.

Hierarchy

WFD — Waste Framework Directive

The waste hierarchy, applied

Prevention, preparing for reuse, recycling, recovery, disposal — in this order, and documented in this order.

Zerow — valorisation hierarchy operationalised into a working platform.

Sources: Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 (ESPR) · Delegated Act C(2026) 660 · Directive 2022/2464 (CSRD) & ESRS E5 · Directive 2008/98/EC (WFD) · Proposal COM(2023) 166 (Green Claims).

Category comparison

ESPR does not hit every category the same way.

The same regulation, different exposure. How leather goods, accessories and footwear compare on scope, destruction-ban risk, design complexity and repair strategy.

Dimension

Leather goods

Accessories

Footwear

Regulatory scope

Full scope 2026

DPP, destruction reporting and ecodesign requirements from 2026.

Delegated acts

Included via hardware and small leather goods provisions.

Prioritised

Full ESPR scope — one of the earliest categories addressed.

Destruction-ban risk

High — Returns, samples and unsold leather goods are highly visible.

Medium — Smaller volumes, but higher value per unit.

High — Seasonal, returns-heavy, mixed materials complicate disposal.

Design complexity

Multi-material assemblies: leather, textile linings, metal hardware.

Metal + textile + coating combinations; small parts, hard to sort.

10+ materials per pair, glued assemblies — hardest to disassemble.

Repair strategy

Repair services are viable and premium-positioned.

Limited repair; refurbish, re-plate and re-issue where possible.

Structured repair programmes (soles, uppers) offset destruction risk.