CalRecycle receives 3 textiles EPR applications

The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) has received proposals from three different organizations willing to become a producer responsibility organization (PRO) in the Golden State to oversee an extended producer responsibility (EPR) system for discarded clothing, linens (towels and bedsheets) and handbags.

The PRO will be created as part of the state’s Responsible Textile Recovery Act (SB 707), which was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsome in September 2024.

Under SB 707, CalRecycle says it is required to review submitted applications and approve one PRO by March 1, 2026, “for the purposes of carrying out the producer requirements of the statute.”

On its website, CalRecycle has posted applications from three organizations: the Circular Textile Alliance, based in Sacramento, California; Landbell USA, based in New York; and the Textile Renewal Alliance, also based in Sacramento.

The submitted PRO applications range from 52 to 235 pages in length, with the proposal from Landbell USA being the lengthiest.

Landbell USA indicates it is part of the Landbell Group and that it “operates one of the first textile PROs in the world through its European Recycling Platform (ERP) Netherlands entity.”

In its PRO, Landbell says its program design “prioritizes reuse and repair,” with a goal to “prepare a significant share of collected covered materials for reuse and repair, with retailer and community-based organizations making repair services visible and accessible.”

The Textile Renewal Alliance, in its PRO, says its plan calls for “launching an inclusive, affordable, and robust collection network with convenient access for consumers and strong collaboration with the repair, reuse and recycling economy.”

The alliance’s list of founding members includes several sizable retailers, including Amazon, Nike, Target and Walmart. The PRO spells out involvement by existing reuse organizations Goodwill and the Salvation Army and cooperation with Waste Management (WM) and members of the Virginia-based Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART).

The Circular Textile Alliance describes itself as “founded by experienced fashion and textile industry professionals with first-hand knowledge of textile production, supply chain operations and circular systems.”

The group’s PRO portrays its focus on “product traceability and transparency around social and environmental impact,” including involvement with Global Organic Textiles Standards (GOTS) and Fair Trade USA certification.

According to CalRecycle, since it has received more than one application, it is “required to determine which proposed PRO can most effectively implement the law,” with the agency saying it will approve one of the PROs by March 1 of this year.