Textile Recovery Act Passed in California, Regulating Textile Waste Management
California has taken a significant stride in combating the environmental impacts of fast fashion and the "throwaway culture" it has abetted. Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed the Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024 into law, marking a first for the nation.
The new law creates an extended producer responsibility (EPR) program for textiles, applying to apparel and textile articles that are unsuitable for reuse in their current condition, including footwear, swimwear, undergarments, handbags, and more. This program requires apparel and textile producers to form and join a producer responsibility organization (PRO) to collect, repair, and recycle their products.
The PRO must be approved by CalRecycle and submit a plan for collection, repair, and recycling of textiles by July 1, 2030. Fashion brands are encouraged to emphasize reuse and repair programs for branded resale, with several brands implementing or expanding such programs this year, including Fjällräven, The North Face, and Rent the Runway.
Fashion industry groups such as American Circular Textiles and the Circular Services Group have welcomed this development, calling for similar action at the federal level. Rachel Kibbe, the group's CEO, stated that SB 707 could help boost circularity efforts on a global scale due to California's large economy.
However, Kibbe expressed concern that sustainability teams might divert focus and resources from innovation and progress to compliance with various state-specific regulations. She emphasized the need for regulation on a global level to prevent fragmented and inconsistent regulations across the country. A unified federal approach, according to Kibbe, would streamline the system, prevent disjointed efforts, and better enable businesses to comply across state lines.
The law aims to address the alarming statistic that approximately 1.2 million tons of textiles were disposed of in California in 2021, despite 95% of them being reusable or recyclable. The bill expects to see fewer textiles entering recycling and waste facilities as a result.
CalRecycle is required to adopt regulations to implement the program beginning July 1, 2028. As the fashion industry adapts to this new landscape, it remains to be seen how this groundbreaking legislation will influence other states and nations in their approach to textile waste and sustainability.
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