STATEMENT: California Legislature approves statewide clothing recycling program

For immediate release:
Wednesday, August 28, 2024

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California State Assembly approved legislation Wednesday that would tackle clothing waste by establishing a statewide clothing recycling program paid for by clothing companies. If signed by the governor, state Sen. Newman’s (Fullerton) Responsible Textile Recovery Act (SB 707) would establish the first such program in the United States, and the strongest in the world.

The Assembly approved this legislation as the need to tackle clothing waste mounts. Globally, one dump truck of clothing and textile waste is sent to a landfill or incinerator every second. In addition to creating huge amounts of waste, the fashion industry contributes high carbon emissions, extensive plastic waste issues, and a pervasive spread of toxins to the global environment.

California does not buck this trend. Annually, the state throws out more than 1 million tons of clothing and other textiles. In 2021 alone, California taxpayers spent more than $70 million dollars disposing of used textiles.

SB 707 would help fix this problem by requiring clothing companies to create and fund a program to repurpose and recycle clothes, keeping them out of landfills. Importantly, the bill shifts the costs of clothing waste management from the state to the companies, forcing them to pay for their waste. The resulting program is designed to help reduce the fast fashion overproduction cycle and ensure more clothing is recycled instead of landfilled. 

This bill now returns to the Assembly for a concurrence vote and will then head to the Governor’s desk for his signature.

In response, CALPIRG Legislative Advocate Fiona Hines released the following statement:

“Clothing companies are making more clothing than we can wear, creating massive amounts of waste. By making companies pay for their own waste, we can encourage them to be more conscious of their output. We are hopeful this nation-leading bill will reduce clothing waste and lead us towards a future where we produce quality clothes that we can repair and reuse longer, and recycle when they reach their end of life.”