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The legislation intends to reduce the amount of textile waste going to landfill.
California is widely considered a harbinger of progressive legislation, leading the charge in areas from emissions control to consumer privacy. The state’s latest step is a decisive push against textile waste.
Under a new law, manufacturers of clothing, footwear and textiles sold in California will be required to take back and recycle unwanted items at no cost to consumers.
While the law doesn’t mandate full implementation until 2030, the formation of a supporting non-profit by 2026 is the first step in this ambitious plan to reduce landfill waste and revolutionise the fashion’s unsustainable practices.
Globally, the fashion industry is among the most wasteful, responsible for around 10% of the world’s carbon emissions. Millions of tons of clothing are discarded annually, with the US alone contributing over 17 million tons in 2018.
For a state like California – the largest economy in the US and the fifth-largest in the world— – the impact of enforcing corporate accountability in textile recycling could be staggering. But for such legislation to have teeth, execution will be critical. The coming years will reveal whether companies can actually pivot and deliver on their commitments.
The economic engine that churns out endless lines of fast fashion and textiles is not inherently circular. Without intervention, these cycles continue to extract and dispose without any incentive to restore.
California’s mandate is therefore more than just a recycling initiative; it’s a means to upend the prominent ‘take-make-waste’ model that drives so much of consumer culture.
That doesn’t mean, of course, that there isn’t still reason for scepticism. The law calls for companies to set up a non-profit by 2026 to coordinate recycling efforts, including collection sites and mail-back programs across all 58 counties in the state.
Yet, the 2030 deadline for a fully operational take-back infrastructure may seem far away when faced with the scale of the transformation required.
For many brands, even those that supported the law – like Ikea and Goodwill – this will not be an easy pivot. Consumer-facing systems, logistics for reverse supply chains, and processing facilities capable of breaking down textiles into reusable materials all represent enormous costs and complex coordination.
