25/06/2026
When you started your brand, waste was not on the agenda.
You were thinking about the product. The supplier. The customer. Whether the fit was right and whether the margin worked. Waste was something that happened after. Something the warehouse dealt with.
That model made sense for a long time.
It is not the model anymore.
The old version: design it, sell what you can, deal with what is left over. Write off the rest. Move on to next season.
The new version: use what was left over to inform what you order next. Which categories had high unsold stock? Which products came back damaged? Which lines should be cut or reduced before the next buying round?
That shift is not just good practice. It is increasingly what the economics demand.
Under EPR, the fee structure is based on volume placed on the market.
Less volume, lower fees. Reducing waste is not just an environmental decision. It is a margin decision.
On the ESPR destruction ban: from July 2026 this applies to large companies selling into the EU. If you are a smaller brand, your direct legal timeline is later. But the brands you sell to, and the retailers you supply, face it in July 2026.
They will ask their supply chain about unsold stock before that date arrives.
Knowing your own numbers is how you answer that question confidently instead of hopefully.
You did not start this brand to think about waste. But eight weeks ago I started sharing content about exactly this and if any of it has landed, the next step is straightforward.
The compliance quiz in my bio takes ten minutes. Seven questions. It tells you which regulations actually apply to your brand, where your gaps are, and what to prioritise first.
No jargon. No 200 page guide. Just a straight answer.
