Riccardo Liguori The Responsible Textiles Recovery Act introduces a system of extended producer responsibility for the textile industry, with the aim of reducing waste, promoting the circular economy and encouraging more sustainable practices
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And further pegs California as the leader within the fashion industry in America on sustainability. On September 28, 2024, Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Responsible Textiles Recovery Act into state law, marking a sure shift away from disposable fashion toward a more responsible production-consumption model.
This revolutionary law is the first in the nation to make apparel and textile manufacturers take full responsibility for their products from design to disposal. The bold departure comes amid a quest to handle the large volumes of textile waste sent to landfills every year, devastating the environment. In 2021 alone, California landfilled approximately 2.65 billion pounds of textiles, although 95% were still reusable or recyclable.
A new approach to the management of end-of-life products
At the core of the Responsible Textiles Recovery Act lies a system for managing end-of-life products, driven by collaboration between manufacturers and specialized organizations. Brands will be required to join a “Producer Responsibility Organization” (PRO), an entity responsible for coordinating and financing programs for textile collection, reuse, and recycling. To pay for this, a charge linked to the amount of products brought to market will be applied to the manufacturers, who will, in turn, have an incentive to reduce the quantity of low-cost, short-lived garments produced.
Beyond recycling: a cultural shift
The law is supposed to induce a deep cultural shift that calls on manufacturers to re-think the entire value chain with sustainability in mind: from the choice of more environmentally friendly materials, design for durability and reparability, to waste and pollution reduction. The new law encourages the fashion industry to be in line with the Circular Economy model.
The Responsible Textiles Recovery Act has robust monitoring and accountability to make sure those lofty ambitions of the law turn into real action. In particular, PROs would be required to submit detailed plans for managing textile waste, including quantifiable goals and deadlines, due July 1, 2030.
Apart from this, the law provides for dangerous chemicals in textiles, like PFAS or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. It would require PROs to implement strategies to prevent contamination of the material streams and to ensure safe recycling processes. Such plans must detail strategies to prevent PFAS and other contaminants from soiling recycled materials and find markets for materials that cannot be reprocessed within California.
A model for sustainable fashion
The Responsible Textiles Recovery Act has been hailed by environmentalists and consumer advocacy groups as a major step toward a more sustainable future for the fashion industry.
“California is showing the world it’s possible to build a more circular system of production and consumption“, a spokesperson for Greenpeace said. “This is the kind of law that can act as a model for any state serious about the problem of textile waste and pollution coming from the fashion industry.”
California’s leadership could inspire Europe and the rest of the world to follow suit, furthering a common vision for more ethical and sustainable fashion practices.
