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Textile Turnaround: California Leads with Groundbreaking Recycling Mandate

collage of elements about the new textile law in California

In 2021, about 1.2 million tons of textiles were disposed of in California. Assuming the same –if not a greater– volume of old textiles has continued to be thrown away since 2021; we did the math to realize that from 2021 to 2024, 4.8 million tons, or 9,600,000,000 lbs. of textile waste, has ended up in landfills…in California alone. 

Too much, no? 

And so: Applause! Applause! California’s Senate Bill 707, the United States’ first mandated Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) textile recycling program, was signed into law at the end of September by Governor Gavin Newson. 

SB 707 “creates a framework for producers and other participants in the value chain to take responsibility for the entire lifecycle of their products and textiles. This includes repair, recycling, and reuse of garments and fibers,” explains a press release from supporting Senator Josh Newman. Joanne Brasch, Director of Advocacy from the California Product Stewardship Council, believes that “the program will incentivize producers to adopt less wasteful production and greener designs.” 

The bill requires that by 2030, textile companies must adopt various measures to manage and reduce waste before and after consumer use. It prioritizes immediate textile recycling, demanding ongoing progress and detailed plans from companies on how to sustainably manage their products. Essentially, it compels businesses to innovate and prevent wasteful practices.

The No Kill team read the bill, and we’re pretty pleased. TLDR? we’ve outlined some key takeaways from the legislation

Mandating an Immediate, Active Attempt toward Reducing Waste and Pollution  

Companies are now required to start prioritizing building out systems that ensure textiles get recycled or reused. How? To start, apparel and textiles producers will form (or join) a “producer responsibility organization,” or PRO. These PROs, which the government will approve, will begin by outlining “a complete plan for the collection, transportation, repair, sorting, and recycling, and the safe and proper management of apparel and textile articles in the state.” 

You break it, you buy it — you make it, you recycle it. 

Producers of textile waste must provide the funds necessary to achieve effective textile recycling. They must disclose how they will fund incentive payments, grants, and market development investments to encourage reuse over recycling. In short, the cost of recycling the textile waste is on the makers. This ideally should incentivize them to create less waste! 

Penalties Defined: The Costs of Ignoring Recycling Laws

Reports and records are required to be provided to the government “under penalty of perjury.” The bill expands the scope of the crime of perjury. 

The cutting room may not cut corners –Tightening Rules on Textile Waste Management

A producer responsibility organization can suspend or terminate a collection site that does not comply with all applicable state, federal, or municipal laws and regulations or adhere to the rules and conditions imposed by the PRO. We hope this means that there will be no over-shipment or overproduction to nations abroad already suffering the impact of our secondhand textile surplus. 

For instance, according to the bill and Senator Josh Newman, by 2030, convenient drop-off locations for used textiles across the state will provide all Californians with a free and simple way to be part of the solution to textile waste. We expect that the aforementioned applicable regulations will not just mean clothes put in drop-off locations will end up shipped to developing nations and eventually littering their landscape

A Transparent Future: The New Standard in Textile Recycling

All recycling activity must be carefully reported and documented. This includes descriptions of sorting processes and sorters, authorized collectors, authorized repair businesses, recycling companies, and more. This fosters a culture of transparency and responsibility yet unheard of in the textile industry.

Community First: Educating Californians on Textile Recycling

Companies will also be required to educate the public about the urgency of textile recycling. The goal is to achieve “a comprehensive statewide education and outreach program designed to educate consumers and promote participation in the program offered by the PRO.”

Another plus? Boosting the Local Recycling Economy Will Create Green Jobs:

The mandated prioritization of recycling and reuse will help to stimulate the local economy by creating jobs in new and expanding sectors like textile collection, sorting, and recycling. 

The bill’s requirement that these textiles get properly sorted by July 1, 2028, with full implementation by 2030, isn’t quite soon enough. Four to six more years of nearly 10 billion pounds of textile waste needs to be dealt with and redirected ASAP. But it’s the best we’ve got. California is always ahead of the game. As for us New Yorkers, we think we’re a pretty cool place, too…why can’t we hurry up and do the same? After, dismayingly, for the second year in a row, Albany did not pass The Fashion Act; the state is still figuring out how to pass similar EPR legislation…stay tuned.

–Anne Elizabeth Whiting


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