Accelerating Textile Recycling in the U.S.: The Need for Federal Policy
Published on marimole.com, July 24, 2020:
Within the sustainable fashion world, discussions of how best to drive toward a circular economy vary among those who emphasize the power of consumer pressure, to those who say businesses cannot and should not wait for the consumer to lead.[i] Still others acknowledge that a combination of both, plus policy and legislation, are needed.
But while policy is a topic of robust discussion in Europe, conversations this side of the Atlantic tend to remain vague and lacking in specifics, especially when it comes federal action.
With recycling, a partial explanation may lie in the fact that a widely accepted policy solution – the system of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) – has already been in place for decades throughout Europe for printed paper and packaging (PPP).[ii] Now, under the European Green Deal’s EU Circular Economy Action Plan, EPR is being proposed as an EU-wide solution for many categories of material waste, including textiles.[iii] (EPR for textile currently exists only in France.)
One leading fashion policy initiative, The Policy Hub, echoes this call for EPR in its position paper titled, “A Common Framework for EPR in the Apparel and Footwear Industry.”[iv]
Launched in May, 2019, Policy Hub is a joint effort by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry, and Global Fashion Agenda to establish a unified voice for industry stakeholders in proposing “policies that accelerate circular practices in the apparel, footwear and textile sectors.”[v]
Yet Policy Hub’s current focus is Europe, which likely reflects the reality that more groundwork has already been laid there. The EU Green Deal (although not yet passed) is comprehensive and fleshed out. This indirectly illuminates the wide gap between Europe and the U.S., where voices are still mixed, for instance, on the question of EPR advocacy.
One organization that is committed to advancing EPR in the U.S. is the Product Stewardship Institute. But while PSI has done extensive work establishing EPR programs for hard-to-recycle products (they also advocate EPR for textiles),[vi] their gains to-date have largely been at the state level.
State legislation is a common first step toward achieving progressive federal policy in the U.S. But it does not always follow. And without federal investment, guidance, and regulations to drive massive infrastructure and other changes toward efficient, technologically advanced recycling systems at scale, America’s transformation toward a nation-wide circular economy will be severely hampered.
As is, consumers can try to act responsibly. But if the infrastructure is not there to facilitate their actions, rapid, wide-scale behavioral changes can’t be expected. Businesses may take baby steps in the direction of using recycled materials and promoting recycling, but without systems, regulations, and incentives to direct them, the pace will be slow, and progress will be piecemeal.
Of note, there is one piece of federal EPR legislation now on the table; part of the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act, introduced in February.[vii]
With the idea of EPR in the air and at least partly on the table, U.S. advocates for its adoption should capitalize on the moment; look to the EU Green Deal, plus existing U.S. state (and Canadian province) models; and push to put textile and other recycling EPR on the map as a matter for federal attention.