Dive Brief:
- CalRecycle recently selected Landbell USA as the producer responsibility organization for the state’s textile extended producer responsibility program.
- Circular Textile Alliance and Textile Renewal Alliance also submitted PRO applications.
- Producers of covered products now have until July 1 to join the PRO ahead of a multiyear ramp-up period that will lead to full implementation in 2030.
Dive Insight:
Landbell USA will manage the first textile EPR in the U.S., rolling out in the most populated state. The PRO has estimated there are about 110 million tons of covered textiles to manage in California, coming from between 35,000 and 40,000 obligated producers.
Landbell, the parent group, has years of experience running similar programs across the world, including one of the first-ever textile EPR programs in the Netherlands.
Passed by California lawmakers in 2024, SB 707 required producers of apparel or textile articles to form a PRO and create an EPR program to manage everyday clothing, athletic clothing, formalwear, work uniforms, outerwear, knitted and woven accessories, handbags and backpacks.
Brittany Dickinson, director of sustainability for Goodwill Industries International, called the PRO selection “an important milestone toward the development of a California-wide textile system that reduces waste and strengthens communities.”
“Landbell USA will partner with established California reuse organizations like Goodwill to manage textile collection and strengthen the circular economy,” she said in an email. “Goodwill Industries International will use insights from the nation’s first textile EPR program to help inform state and federal policy considerations.”
The National Stewardship Action Council said in a press release it appreciated the “careful due diligence and thoughtful selection of Landbell USA.” NSAC’s Executive Director Heidi Sanborn will be a member of Landbell’s 13-person advisory committee.
Landbell’s proposed an advisory committee, including representatives from producers and retailers. Members are expected to give “specific expert input and recommendations” to the PRO, as well as communicate community perspectives and share information on existing resources. Members will receive an annual stipend of $20,000 starting in 2027. Landbell has also created an ex officio board with members involved in textile recycling and reuse.
An initial needs assessment is due from the PRO by March 1, 2027. CalRecycle is scheduled to adopt regulations by July 1, 2028, and the full PRO plan is due to CalRecycle by July 1, 2029 for a July 1, 2030 start date.
In a press release, Patrick Gibbs, textile lead at Landbell USA, called the task a “historic responsibility.”
“California is setting a global precedent for textile sustainability,” Gibbs said. “Our goal is to provide a seamless, transparent, and highly effective program.”
Landbell USA President John Hayes said in an emailed statement that the PRO will start by opening producer sign up, then focusing on the needs assessment.
“We’re looking to scale the infrastructure that currently exists and to create a robust and holistic stewardship plan that enables covered producers to comply with the legislation,” Hayes said. “Our focus is on building an ecosystem that makes collection, reuse, and repair as convenient, efficient, and transparent as possible.”
Hayes added that as the first U.S. textile PRO, “we are not just launching a program, we are setting the blueprint.”
Landbell’s 235-page application noted that it plans to form an advisory board, as well as run several pilot projects in five counties before the program officially starts. Those pilot programs will cover about 10% of California’ population, or roughly 3.98 million residents. The plan proposes a statewide network of around 15,800 collection bins and using retail locations as collection points.
The PRO estimated a 2026 setup cost of nearly $7.8 million, followed by expenses of $10.4 million in 2027, $31.7 million in 2028 and $46.8 million in 2029. Costs rise in 2028 and 2029 due to pilot projects. For the official program start year, 2030, Landbell anticipates costs of $387.6 million.
In the application, Landbell estimated that about one million tons of apparel and textiles enter the U.S. market annually. It set California’s share at about 11% based on population, though it plans to revise that figure once the needs assessment is complete. In the program’s first full year, 2030, Landbell plans to collect 91,174 tons of covered products.
Several other states are attempting to pass textile EPR legislation this year, including New York, Minnesota and Washington.
In New York, legislators are again trying to pass S3217A, which would require producers of apparel and textiles to form a PRO and fund reuse, repair and recycling programs in the state. It also sets recycling targets of 30% after five years, rising to 50% in 10 years and 75% in 15 years. It is currently in the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee.
HF 3713 in Minnesota would set up an EPR program for textiles, carpet, and mattresses, requiring producers to cover the cost of “reusing, repairing, recycling, or otherwise managing covered products.” It was introduced on Feb. 25.
In Washington, legislators brought back textile EPR bills from last session, including SB 6174 and HB 1420, but both failed to cross chambers in time. Washington alternates short and long legislative sessions, and the 2026 short session ends March 12. That means bills needed to move out of their house of origin by Feb. 17.
