Responsible Textile Recovery Act (2024)
Ref No.
SB 707
Jurisdiction
California, US
Key Policymaker(s)
Senator Josh Newman (D)
The California Product Stewardship Counsel (Sponsor)
The Responsible Textile Recovery Act was first introduced in 2023 and signed into law in 2024. The bill establishes the first Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) recycling program aimed to address textile waste in the U.S. Californians will still be encouraged to bring their unwanted clothing and household textiles to thrift stores, charities, and other collection sites for donation, but these collection sites will now also be part of a system for sorting and ultimately recycling used textiles that can’t be reused or resold. Sellers who sell only secondhand covered products in California or have less than $1 million in aggregate annual sales in the state are exempt from complying with the Act. If producers do not comply, they could be facing penalties of up to $10,000 a day, or up to $50,000 per day if the violation is intentional or knowing.
Key Aspects
Producers are prohibited from selling, offering for sale, importing, or distributing apparel or textiles in or into the state, unless they are a participant of a PRO, the department has approved the plan, and other criteria are met.
Producers of apparel or textiles must form and join a producer responsibility organization (PRO) which must be approved by the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery. The department will need to adopt regulations to start the program no earlier than January 1, 2028.
The PRO must submit a complete plan to the department for the collection, transportation, repair, sorting, recycling, and the safe and proper management of apparel and textile articles in the state. It must also address PFAS and other chemicals banned in California in the recycling process.
The PRO must update a needs assessment every five years and submit an annual report to CalRecycle.
Latest Update
The Act entered its first implementation phase, with a statutory deadline requiring textile producers to register with the state-approved producer responsibility organization (PRO) by July 1, 2026.
Producers that fail to register may be subject to enforcement actions, including administrative penalties of up to $50,000 per day, reinforcing the state’s intent to ensure early and statutorily required participation.
On Feb. 27, CalRecycle approved Landbell USA as the PRO responsible for program implementation. Landbell USA will develop and manage a comprehensive stewardship plan including system design, performance targets, reporting and funding mechanisms.
Additional Information
