Responsible Textile Recovery Act: California's Sustainable Future with Circular Fashion

Written by Tirsa Parrish

You found a great outfit that made you feel amazing, but when it no longer fits your style, what's next? Toss it? (please, don’t!) There is a better way: donate, swap, rent it, or recycle. Up until now, the burden has been on the consumer to figure out how to dispose of their clothing.

Requiring Recycling, Moving Toward Circular Fashion

The Responsibility Textile Recovery Act of 2024, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, shifts this responsibility to the apparel producers. This groundbreaking legislation requires apparel manufacturers to collect, transport, repair, sort, and recycle apparel in the state by 2030 with a plan in place by 2028.

Extended Producer Responsibility

Fast fashion’s rapid turnover, due to low quality and microtrends, yields a shocking amount of textile waste. 85% of all textiles end up in landfills where they emit greenhouse gasses. The California law establishes the first Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program for clothing in the U.S., pushing the fashion industry towards a circular fashion model.

Producer Responsibility Organizations

The new law requires apparel producers to form or join a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO). Along with completing plans for product end-of-life, the PRO aim is to make the fashion industry more sustainable by addressing PFAs and other harmful chemicals used during recycling.

The intent of the Act is to stop textile waste from fast fashion companies importing their products that quickly end up clogging landfills. They are working to force the fashion industry to reduce waste and increase sustainability by creating a framework for producers and other participants in the value chain to take responsibility for the entire life of their product.

Before being passed, the bill had support of over 150 organizations including the American Apparel and Footwear Association, National Stewardship Action Council, Goodwill, and brands like H&M and IKEA. The bill had no opposition.

Soon, California residents will be able to recycle used clothing at local collection points. The law could be the blueprint (let’s hope) for nationwide change in how we manage textile waste.