Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 707, also known as the responsible textile recovery act, into law on September 28th in California.
The first law of its kind in the nation requires producers of clothing, shoes, handbags, backpacks, and other textiles to take responsibility for managing the collection and recycling of these items.
According to Senator Josh Newman (D-Fullerton), the bill he has authored, SB 707, aims to tackle two important issues: the excessive amount of textiles being sent to landfills and the environmental consequences of “fast fashion” and the culture of disposability.
Only 15% of textiles are recycled
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In 2021, Newman stated that around 1.2 million tons of textiles were discarded in California. Despite the fact that 95% of textiles can be reused or recycled, only 15% of them are currently being recycled or reused.
According to Newman, fast fashion is a business model that contributes significantly to these destructive trends. It involves mass-producing affordable clothing that aligns with current fashion trends and quickly selling it both in physical stores and online.
According to him, the law will open up fresh possibilities for Californians to actively engage in building a more sustainable future.
Newman stated that by 2030, there would be convenient drop-off locations for used textiles across the state. These locations would offer everyone a free and easy way to contribute to the solution.
Fines up to $50,000 per day
Textile manufacturers are now required to establish and become part of a producer responsibility organization (PRO) under the recently implemented law.
The PRO will develop a comprehensive strategy encompassing the collection, transportation, repair, sorting, recycling, and responsible management of apparel and textiles.
CalRecycle has been granted the authority by the law to impose penalties for violations. These penalties amount to $10,000 per day for regular violations, and $50,000 per day for intentional violations. The collected funds will be deposited into a Textile Stewardship Recovery Penalty Account.
The American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) has recently revised its stance on SB 707 from “opposed unless amended” to “neutral.” This shift comes in light of significant changes made to the legislation, which aim to address several concerns raised by the AAFA.
Source: The HD Post
