Basel Convention Parties to Review Options for Addressing Waste Textiles at OEWG-15

Key Takeaways

What’s Happening: The Basel Convention’s Open-ended Working Group will consider used textiles and textile wastes at its fifteenth meeting (OEWG-15), scheduled for June 23–26, 2026, in Geneva. Meeting documents now include a working document on “Used textiles and textile wastes” (UNEP/CHW/OEWG.15/9) and an information document titled “Report on possible options available under the Basel Convention to address used textiles and textile wastes” (“Textiles Options Paper”; UNEP/CHW/OEWG.15/INF/22).

Who’s Impacted: Apparel, footwear, textile, carpet, floor covering, retail, resale, recycling, logistics, waste management, and consumer products companies that move used textiles or textile wastes across borders, including through repair, reuse, take-back, donation, resale, or recycling programs.

Response Actions to Consider: Concerns with the environmental impact of mismanaged textile wastes are growing. Companies should assess their current and future circularity goals, map textile-related cross-border flows, identify shipments that may become subject to controls or trade bans under the Basel Convention, and consider options for engaging country delegations to advance preferred approaches to ensuring the environmentally sound management of textile wastes under the Convention or through other measures.

What is the Time Horizon: Governments will be making decisions on how to prioritize used and waste textile issues at OEWG-15, with a comment opportunity thereafter (likely September 2026, TBC). Basel Parties will consider options for near-term work plans and possible future amendments to the Convention regarding the classification and control of textile waste. Parties will determine a a path forward at COP-18 (April 19-30, 2027, in Panama City).

Background

The Basel Convention is a global agreement governing the classification and control of transboundary movements of hazardous and other wastes of concern. To date, 191 Parties have ratified the agreement. The U.S. has signed but not ratified the agreement. As a non-Party, the U.S. is uniquely disadvantaged because Parties to the agreement cannot trade Basel-covered wastes with non-Parties, absent a separate agreement that aligns with the requirements of Article 11 of the Convention.

Basel Convention Parties agreed at COP-17 to begin work on how to address transboundary movements of textile waste and their management under the Convention. That work responds to growing concerns about the export of used textiles and textile waste to countries that may lack sufficient infrastructure for environmentally sound management (ESM).

Textile waste currently appears in Annex IX entries B3030 and B3035, which generally identify non-hazardous wastes that fall outside Basel control so long as they do not contain Annex I hazardous constituents at levels that cause them to exhibit Annex III hazardous characteristics.

Decision BC-17/21 invited Parties and observers to submit comments by November 15, 2025, on experiences, challenges, costs, and views related to trade in used textiles and textile wastes. The decision also directed the Secretariat to prepare a report on possible Basel options for OEWG-15. In preparation for the Basel Convention’s Open Ended Working Group, the issue has now moved from concept to agenda item with a Textiles Options Paper published on May 8, 2026 by the Secretariat.

Why OEWG-15 Matters for Textile Circularity

While OEWG-15 will not itself amend the Convention, it will shape the direction of travel for action on the management of waste textiles at the global level, including options Parties will forward to COP-18. Under the COP-17 mandate, OEWG-15 will consider options to address challenges linked to transboundary movement of textile wastes, including the following, which will be used to develop a proposal for COP-18:

1. Review of Basel Convention Classifications for Textile Wastes

• Under this option, Parties would undertake an examination of how textile wastes are classified under the Basel Convention annexes, including possible changes related to sorted versus unsorted textiles, natural versus synthetic fibers, and categories such as footwear, accessories, and carpets. The Textiles Options Paper also notes possible reconsideration of textile-related waste codes such as B3030.
• Classification changes could have major legal and operational consequences for future circularity, and programs focused on the reuse and recycling of textile wastes.

2. Guidance Distinguishing Used Textiles from Textile Wastes

• Another option for consideration is for Parties to develop clearer criteria for distinguishing reusable used textiles destined for reuse from waste textiles managed for final disposal or recovery. The Textiles Options Paper notes that stakeholders currently lack a common understanding of “used textiles” versus “textile waste,” which can lead to inconsistent classification and create uncertainty in shipping declarations and handling.
• If the distinction between used textiles and textile waste is clear, objective, and practical, such guidance could reduce border uncertainty, support resale and repair markets, and protect circular business models.

3. Certification, Inspection, Traceability, and Oversight of Used Textile Movements

• Strengthening oversight of transboundary movements of used textiles and textile wastes was also presented as an option through certification of sorting and export facilities, improved inspection and traceability systems, stronger recordkeeping and border controls, and enhanced certification and inspection capacity in importing countries. The Textiles Options Paper frames these measures as tools to support compliance, prevent illegal trafficking, and build confidence that used textiles and textile wastes are handled responsibly.
• These measures could directly affect reverse logistics operations including how companies document, sort, ship, and verify used textile flows.

4. Alignment Between Basel Codes and Customs Codes

• Parties will also consider actions to improve consistency between Basel waste classifications and Harmonized System customs codes, including possible coordination with the World Customs Organization. The Textiles Options Paper notes that current customs codes do not clearly differentiate between sorted reusable used textiles and textile waste, which can complicate trade data and enforcement. 
• Refining code alignment could improve customs predictability and reduce the inconsistent treatment of used textile shipments. However, new or revised customs categories could also create new declaration obligations and compliance risks.

5. Technical Guidelines on Environmentally Sound Management of Textile Wastes

• Parties could develop technical guidelines for the prevention, minimization, and environmentally sound management of textile waste, including recycling, recovery, and disposal. Technical guidelines could elaborate on preferred collection, storage and recycling practices as well as clarify waste classifications.
• Basel technical guidelines often inform regulators’ and stakeholders’ views on ESM recycling and disposal practices. For brands, retailers, sorters, recyclers, and reverse-logistics providers, this could influence compliance expectations across the value chain, especially for post-consumer textile flows and flows related to T2T recycling.

7. Capacity Building, Infrastructure, Innovation, and Worker Protections

• Parties could focus on supporting stronger textile waste management systems, especially in developing countries, through investment in sorting, recycling, environmentally sound disposal, technical assistance, regulatory harmonization, innovation, and protections for workers and communities involved in used textile and textile waste management. The Textiles Options Paper frames these measures as part of a broader package to improve local capacity, promote sustainable textile sorting and recycling, and ensure that action under the Basel Convention protects both human health and livelihoods.
• Capacity-building can be a constructive pathway for preserving legitimate circular textile flows while addressing concerns about unmanaged residual waste. If implemented effectively, this option could support better downstream infrastructure, build stronger confidence in importing-country markets, and create opportunities for public-private investments in sorting, repair, and T2T recycling technologies.

Looking Ahead

Companies shipping used or waste textiles (or investing in future circularity businesses) should follow the discussions and key outcomes of the OEWG meeting in June. In anticipation of a changing legal landscape on the control of waste textiles, companies may also wish to consider:

• Mapping used and waste textile flows.
• Assessing trade and business disruption risks.
• Engaging country delegations that are active in legal, technical, and policy discussions in key forums, including commenting through trade associations on preferred approaches to addressing waste textiles under the Basel Convention (e.g., potential September 2026 comment opportunity).
• Participating in further technical consultations or work groups under the Convention.
• Monitoring and responding to future proposals for work plans or legally binding amendments to the Convention that could inform national approaches to the classification and management of waste textiles worldwide.

Conclusion

OEWG-15 marks the next important step for Parties to the Basel Convention in addressing concerns over the environmental impacts of mismanaged waste textiles. The outcome of the Basel discussions will likely have important implications for how countries and companies advance successful circularity initiatives for used textiles.

Beveridge & Diamond has represented a wide range of clients on issues related to the negotiation and implementation of the Basel Convention, including the listing of new wastes under the Convention. The firm’s Consumer Products and Product Stewardship, Global Supply Chains practices counsel U.S. and multinational companies that manufacture, distribute, transport, or sell consumer goods in today’s fast-paced and evolving marketplace. Our Apparel and Textiles practice supports companies in the textiles and fashion sectors on a broad range of global environmental and sustainability matters. For more information, please contact the authors.