---
title: "ESPR destruction ban and unsold goods FAQ"
canonical_url: "https://www.sorena.io/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/faq/destruction-ban"
source_url: "https://www.sorena.io/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/faq/destruction-ban"
author: "Sorena AI"
description: "What ESPR says about preventing destruction of unsold consumer products, annual disclosure, the Annex VII apparel and footwear ban, and grounded derogation evidence."
published_at: "2026-05-09"
updated_at: "2026-05-09"
keywords:
  - "ESPR destruction ban"
  - "unsold consumer products"
  - "ESPR disclosure"
  - "Annex VII apparel footwear"
  - "unsold goods"
  - "ESPR"
  - "destruction ban"
  - "apparel"
  - "footwear"
  - "disclosure"
---
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---

# ESPR destruction ban and unsold goods FAQ

What ESPR says about preventing destruction of unsold consumer products, annual disclosure, the Annex VII apparel and footwear ban, and grounded derogation evidence.

*FAQ* *ESPR* *Unsold goods*

## ESPR destruction ban What should teams do about unsold goods?

ESPR treats destruction of unsold consumer products as a prevention, disclosure, and prohibition issue. The ban is not a universal all-product ban: the text first prohibits destruction for Annex VII apparel, clothing accessories, and footwear, while allowing the Commission to add products and set derogations.

Use this FAQ to separate what must be disclosed, what is prohibited, which product categories are named, and what evidence should be retained without adding unsupported national rules.

Under ESPR, teams should first avoid the need to destroy unsold consumer products, then decide whether the fact pattern triggers public disclosure, the Annex VII prohibition, or a documented derogation. The rule is grounded in Chapter VI of Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 and in the Commission's ESPR overview, which describes the ban for unsold textiles and footwear and annual website disclosure for large and eventually medium-sized companies.

## Does ESPR create a destruction ban for all unsold goods?

No. ESPR sets a general prevention principle for unsold consumer products, a disclosure duty for economic operators that discard unsold consumer products, and a specific prohibition for the consumer products listed in Annex VII.

Article 23 says economic operators must take reasonably expected measures to prevent the need to destroy unsold consumer products. Article 24 is a disclosure rule. Article 25 is the prohibition rule, and it applies first to the Annex VII list: apparel and clothing accessories, plus footwear.

- Treat prevention as the baseline control for all unsold consumer product decisions.
- Treat disclosure separately: it covers discarded unsold consumer products and asks for annual quantities, reasons, treatment routes, and prevention measures.
- Treat the ban separately: Article 25 prohibits destruction of Annex VII products from 19 July 2026, subject to the enterprise-size carve-outs and derogation framework in the ESPR text.
- Do not describe ESPR as banning destruction of every unsold product category unless a later grounded delegated act has added that category.

Sources for this answer:

- [Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 (ESPR)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1781/oj/eng?ref=sorena.io) - Primary ESPR text for the Chapter VI prevention, disclosure, prohibition, derogation, and Annex VII product-scope rules.
- [European Commission - Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation](https://commission.europa.eu/energy-climate-change-environment/standards-tools-and-labels/products-labelling-rules-and-requirements/ecodesign-sustainable-products-regulation_en?ref=sorena.io) - Commission overview used to confirm the public explanation that ESPR introduces a ban for unsold textiles and footwear and annual website disclosure.

## What must be disclosed about discarded unsold consumer products?

Article 24 requires economic operators that discard unsold consumer products directly, or have them discarded on their behalf, to publish annual information in a clear and visible manner at least on an easily accessible website page.

The disclosure is not only a count. ESPR asks for the number and weight by product type or category, reasons for discarding, relevant derogations where applicable, the proportion sent to preparing for reuse, recycling, other recovery, or disposal, and measures taken or planned to prevent destruction.

- Keep annual number and weight records by product type or category.
- Record the reason for discarding and, where relevant, the Article 25(5) derogation basis.
- Track where discarded products went: preparing for reuse, recycling, other recovery including energy recovery, or disposal.
- Publish prevention measures taken and planned, not only disposal outcomes.
- Retain delivery, reception, and derogation documentation because the Commission or a competent national authority can request it.

Sources for this answer:

- [Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 (ESPR)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1781/oj/eng?ref=sorena.io) - Article 24 specifies the disclosure fields, website publication requirement, annual cycle, and supporting documentation request right.
- [European Commission - New law to make products on the EU market more sustainable](https://commission.europa.eu/news-and-media/news/new-law-make-products-eu-market-more-sustainable-2024-07-19_en?ref=sorena.io) - Commission news page used as secondary support for the public website-disclosure explanation.

## Which products are named in the ESPR destruction ban?

The grounded product list is Annex VII. It names apparel and clothing accessories, including leather or composition-leather apparel and accessories, knitted or crocheted apparel and accessories, non-knitted or non-crocheted apparel and accessories, and specified headgear. It also names footwear under commodity codes 6401 to 6405.

The Commission can amend Annex VII to add products, but Article 25 requires evidence work before doing so: prevalence and environmental impacts must be assessed, Article 24 disclosure information must be considered, and an impact assessment must be based on best available evidence and analyses.

- Grounded current Annex VII groups: apparel and clothing accessories; footwear.
- Grounded apparel/accessory commodity-code references include 4203, 61, 62, 6504, and 6505.
- Grounded footwear commodity-code references include 6401, 6402, 6403, 6404, and 6405.
- Other product groups should be treated as watch-list candidates unless a grounded delegated act or source confirms their inclusion.

Sources for this answer:

- [Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 (ESPR)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1781/oj/eng?ref=sorena.io) - Annex VII supplies the named apparel, clothing accessories, headgear, and footwear categories for the initial destruction prohibition.
- [European Commission - Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation](https://commission.europa.eu/energy-climate-change-environment/standards-tools-and-labels/products-labelling-rules-and-requirements/ecodesign-sustainable-products-regulation_en?ref=sorena.io) - Commission overview confirms that similar bans in other sectors depend on evidence showing they are needed.

## Which enterprise-size limits and derogations are grounded?

Article 24 says the disclosure paragraph does not apply to micro and small enterprises and applies to medium-sized enterprises from 19 July 2030. Article 25 uses the same micro, small, and medium-sized enterprise timing for the Annex VII prohibition.

Article 25(5) gives the grounded derogation reasons the Commission must set out in delegated acts: health, hygiene and safety; damage that cannot be repaired cost-effectively; unfitness for intended purpose; non-acceptance of products offered for donation; unsuitability for preparing for reuse or remanufacturing; unsaleability due to intellectual property infringement, including counterfeit products; and destruction being the option with the least negative environmental impacts.

- Do not invent company-size thresholds in the FAQ; use only the ESPR labels micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises unless another grounded source gives threshold definitions for the specific use.
- Do not treat Article 25(5) as a self-executing blank cheque. It is a delegated-act framework, so the evidence file should point to the applicable derogation instrument before approving destruction.
- Record product condition evidence, repair-cost evidence, donation refusal, reuse or remanufacturing assessment, IP/counterfeit evidence, or environmental-impact comparison only where that reason is actually relied on.
- Watch for anti-circumvention: ESPR says operators outside the prohibition must not destroy covered products supplied to them for the purpose of circumventing the ban.

Sources for this answer:

- [Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 (ESPR)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1781/oj/eng?ref=sorena.io) - Articles 24 and 25 provide the enterprise-size carve-outs, medium-enterprise timing, anti-circumvention rule, and derogation reasons.
- [European Commission - Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation](https://commission.europa.eu/energy-climate-change-environment/standards-tools-and-labels/products-labelling-rules-and-requirements/ecodesign-sustainable-products-regulation_en?ref=sorena.io) - Commission overview states that implementing and delegated acts on destruction of unsold consumer products were adopted on 9 February 2026, but this FAQ does not rely on ungrounded details from those acts.

## What evidence should teams keep before discarding or destroying unsold goods?

Keep evidence that proves which ESPR track applied: prevention only, disclosure, Annex VII prohibition, or a specific derogation path. The record should be usable by sustainability reporting, product, legal, logistics, and marketplace teams without relying on local knowledge.

Because Article 24 allows authorities to request information and documentation demonstrating delivery and reception of discarded products, evidence should follow the product flow from internal decision through the third party or waste-treatment destination.

- Product classification record against Annex VII commodity-code descriptions.
- Enterprise-size applicability note using only the grounded ESPR micro, small, or medium-sized enterprise categories.
- Prevention actions considered before destruction, such as resale, donation, repair, refurbishment, remanufacturing, or preparing for reuse where applicable.
- Annual disclosure dataset for number, weight, product category, reason, treatment route, and prevention measures.
- Delivery and reception records from any third party handling discarded products.
- Derogation evidence tied to the exact Article 25(5) reason and the applicable delegated act or source.

Sources for this answer:

- [Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 (ESPR)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1781/oj/eng?ref=sorena.io) - Article 24 requires disclosure fields and supporting documentation for delivery, reception, and relevant derogations.
- [European Commission - Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation](https://commission.europa.eu/energy-climate-change-environment/standards-tools-and-labels/products-labelling-rules-and-requirements/ecodesign-sustainable-products-regulation_en?ref=sorena.io) - Commission overview supports the practical distinction between annual disclosure and the textile/footwear ban.

## Primary sources

- [Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 (ESPR)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1781/oj/eng?ref=sorena.io) - Primary ESPR text for Chapter VI, Article 23 prevention, Article 24 disclosure, Article 25 prohibition and derogation framework, Article 26 consolidated information, and Annex VII product categories.
  - Quote: "From 19 July 2026, the destruction of unsold consumer products as listed in Annex VII shall be prohibited."
- [European Commission - Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation](https://commission.europa.eu/energy-climate-change-environment/standards-tools-and-labels/products-labelling-rules-and-requirements/ecodesign-sustainable-products-regulation_en?ref=sorena.io) - Commission ESPR overview used for public-facing confirmation of the textile and footwear ban, annual disclosure explanation, and adoption note for destruction-related implementing and delegated acts.
  - Quote: "Many unsold products in the EU are simply destroyed"
- [European Commission - New law to make products on the EU market more sustainable](https://commission.europa.eu/news-and-media/news/new-law-make-products-eu-market-more-sustainable-2024-07-19_en?ref=sorena.io) - Commission news page used as secondary support for the ban and annual website-disclosure summary.
  - Quote: "ban the destruction of unsold textiles and footwear"

## Topic Guides

- [ESPR and DPP connection: delegated acts, identifiers, and access](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/espr-and-dpp-connection.md): How ESPR connects ecodesign information requirements to Digital Product Passports, including delegated acts, data carriers, identifiers, access rights, registry, and architecture choices.
- [ESPR Applicability Test for Products and DPP Readiness](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/applicability-test.md): A source-linked ESPR applicability test for physical product scope, exclusions, delegated-act dependency, economic operator triage, DPP readiness, unsold goods, and evidence.
- [ESPR compliance checklist for delegated acts and DPP readiness](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/checklist.md): A source-linked ESPR checklist for monitoring delegated acts, mapping product requirements, preparing technical documentation, and building DPP and unsold-goods evidence.
- [ESPR compliance program operating model](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/compliance-program-operating-model.md): Build an ESPR operating model for product-group intake, delegated-act monitoring, supplier evidence, DPP governance, release gates, and authority response.
- [ESPR compliance: delegated acts, DPP and evidence](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/compliance.md): Practical ESPR compliance guidance for mapping product delegated acts, Digital Product Passport dependencies, unsold goods duties, technical documentation, standards, and market-surveillance evidence.
- [ESPR deadlines and compliance calendar](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/deadlines-and-compliance-calendar.md): Source-linked ESPR calendar for framework dates, delegated-act dependency, working-plan monitoring, unsold-goods disclosure, and DPP readiness limits.
- [ESPR delegated act intake by product group](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/delegated-act-intake-by-product-group.md): A grounded intake checklist for tracking ESPR delegated acts by product group, covering product identification, DPP data, ecodesign requirements, conformity evidence, and source limits.
- [ESPR delegated act intake workflow](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/delegated-act-intake-workflow.md): A source-grounded intake workflow for ESPR delegated acts: trigger checks, product-group scope, requirement extraction, DPP impacts, release gates, owners, and evidence outputs.
- [ESPR delegated acts FAQ: product rules, DPP impact, and monitoring](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/faq/delegated-acts.md): Standalone FAQ on ESPR delegated acts, why product-group duties depend on them, what teams should monitor, and how they shape Digital Product Passport information.
- [ESPR delegated acts watchlist for product and DPP teams](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/espr-delegated-acts-watchlist.md): Track ESPR delegated-act priorities without inventing dates: product groups, source status, likely requirement types, DPP impact, evidence owners, and open source gaps.
- [ESPR destruction of unsold goods: disclosure, ban scope, and records](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/destruction-of-unsold-goods.md): Source-linked ESPR guide to unsold consumer product disclosure, destruction-ban scope, records, derogations, and national enforcement limits.
- [ESPR DPP information mapping workflow](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/dpp-information-mapping-workflow.md): Map ESPR delegated-act information requirements into DPP data elements, source systems, access levels, identifiers, carriers, validation evidence, and unresolved design decisions.
- [ESPR durability, repairability, and recyclability evidence](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/durability-repairability-and-recyclability-evidence.md): Build ESPR evidence for durability, repairability, and recyclability without inventing product-group tests before the applicable delegated act is known.
- [ESPR Ecodesign Evidence Checklist](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/ecodesign-evidence-checklist.md): Checklist for collecting ESPR ecodesign evidence from delegated acts, technical documentation, supplier substantiation, DPP mapping, standards, and market surveillance records.
- [ESPR ecodesign requirement types: performance, information, and DPP links](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/ecodesign-requirement-types.md): Source-grounded guide to ESPR ecodesign requirement types, product parameters, delegated-act dependency, DPP links, and evidence implications.
- [ESPR FAQ: scope, delegated acts, DPP, unsold goods](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/faq.md): Standalone ESPR FAQ answers on product scope, delegated acts, Digital Product Passports, unsold goods, product priorities, standards, surveillance, and source limits.
- [ESPR harmonised standards and common specifications](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/standards-and-common-specifications.md): How ESPR uses harmonised standards, common specifications, delegated acts, and DPP standards evidence without inventing product-specific requirements.
- [ESPR Information Requirements to DPP Mapping](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/information-requirements-to-dpp-mapping.md): Map ESPR information requirements into Digital Product Passport data classes, source systems, access rules, carrier choices, validation checks, and evidence records.
- [ESPR Information Requirements, Labels, and Disclosure](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/information-requirements-labeling-and-disclosure.md): Grounded ESPR guide to delegated-act information requirements, product labels, digital product passport access, data carriers, and unsold-goods disclosure.
- [ESPR market surveillance FAQ: evidence, DPP data, and authority requests](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/faq/market-surveillance.md): Standalone FAQ on ESPR market surveillance: technical documentation, conformity evidence, DPP data, authority response, delegated-act limits, and national penalties.
- [ESPR market surveillance technical documentation checklist](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/market-surveillance-technical-documentation.md): Source-grounded ESPR checklist for technical documentation, conformity evidence, DPP records, and responses to market surveillance authority requests.
- [ESPR penalties and fines: Member State rules and evidence](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/penalties-and-fines.md): A conservative ESPR penalties guide explaining Article 74, why fine amounts depend on Member State law, and which conformity and market-surveillance evidence matters.
- [ESPR Product Priorities and Delegated Acts Tracker](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/product-priorities-and-delegated-acts-tracker.md): Track ESPR priority product groups, source status, delegated-act progress, expected DPP impact, owners, evidence, and source gaps without treating preliminary studies as binding obligations.
- [ESPR product priorities FAQ: working plan and delegated acts](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/faq/product-priorities.md): Standalone FAQ on ESPR product priorities, the Commission working plan, delegated-act dependency, monitoring points, and limits of preliminary source material.
- [ESPR requirements: delegated acts, ecodesign, DPP, and evidence](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/requirements.md): ESPR requirements explained as a framework for delegated acts, ecodesign performance and information rules, Digital Product Passports, unsold goods, technical documentation, and market surveillance.
- [ESPR unsold goods disclosure FAQ](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/faq/unsold-goods-disclosure.md): Standalone FAQ on the ESPR Article 24 duty to disclose discarded unsold consumer products, its relationship to the destruction ban, records, and source limits.
- [ESPR unsold goods disclosure tracker](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/unsold-goods-disclosure-tracker.md): Track ESPR unsold consumer product disclosure fields, website publication evidence, destruction-ban status, owners, and unresolved source gaps.
- [ESPR vs Batteries Regulation Comparison](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/espr-vs-batteries-regulation.md): Compare ESPR delegated-act planning with the Batteries Regulation product-specific regime, including DPP overlap, battery passport evidence, timing limits, and source boundaries.
- [ESPR vs Ecodesign Directive](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/espr-vs-ecodesign-directive.md): Compare ESPR with the earlier Ecodesign Directive across scope, legal form, delegated acts, DPP requirements, unsold goods, transition rules, and evidence.
- [ESPR vs GPSR: Sustainability vs Product Safety](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/espr-vs-gpsr.md): A source-limited comparison of ESPR sustainability and product-information requirements against GPSR product-safety context, with evidence and DPP reuse limits.
- [ESPR vs PPWR Comparison](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/espr-vs-ppwr.md): Compare ESPR product ecodesign and Digital Product Passport work with the separate PPWR packaging regime, using only source-linked ESPR and packaging-boundary claims.
- [ESPR vs REACH and RoHS Comparison](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/espr-vs-reach-and-rohs.md): Compare ESPR ecodesign, sustainability, information, and digital product passport requirements with source-limited REACH and RoHS substance-control context.
- [EU ESPR DPP obligations FAQ](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/faq/dpp-obligations.md): Standalone FAQ on Digital Product Passport obligations under ESPR, covering delegated acts, identifiers, carriers, access rights, data governance, and supplier evidence limits.
- [Timeline for ESPR: practical implementation guide](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/timeline.md): Practical ESPR guidance for Timeline, with source-linked decisions, owners, evidence records, and implementation steps.
- [What ESPR is and why it matters](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/what-is-espr-and-why-it-matters.md): A grounded explainer of the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, including scope, delegated acts, DPPs, unsold goods, and enforcement limits.
- [Which products are in scope of the EU ESPR?](/artifacts/eu/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation/faq/products-in-scope.md): Standalone FAQ on ESPR product scope, excluded products, delegated-act dependency, working-plan monitoring, and the digital product passport link.

*Recommended next step*

*Placement: after evidence section*

## Map unsold goods decisions to evidence

Use Sorena to connect ESPR source text, product categories, disclosure fields, and derogation evidence before approving discarded or destroyed unsold goods workflows.

- [Open Research Copilot](/solutions/research-copilot.md): Answer ESPR unsold-goods questions with cited source material.
- [Discuss ESPR implementation](/contact.md): Review product scope, disclosure records, and destruction-ban evidence with Sorena.


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