Current status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 14 November 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether its plans to align with EU textiles policy, as discussed in the Draft Circular Economy Strategy for Scotland, includes support for adopting similar restrictions on the export of textile waste.
The Scottish Government supports the principle of alignment with the EU where it is meaningful to do so and contributes towards maintaining and advancing environmental standards.
This includes developing a producer responsibility approach to textiles and measures to address the disposal of unsold consumer goods, which could include textiles. International waste export legislation is currently a reserved matter for the UK Government; however, the Scottish Government will continue to engage with the UK Government on waste export legislation to seek EU alignment where appropriate.
As set out in the draft Circular Economy Strategy for Scotland, we are committed to improving the management of post-consumer textiles.
On 17 June 2025 a Scottish Government consultation closed on whether to make kerbside collection of textiles by local authorities a mandatory service. This consultation fulfilled a commitment in the Circular Economy & Waste Route map. Independent analysis of responses to the consultation is now being undertaken and a report will be published in due course which will also inform the co-design work on the Household Recycling Code of Practice.