08/17/2026
On August 13, 2026, the Green Team Worldwide and fellow Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART) members attended CalRecycle's critical informal regulatory concepts workshop for California’s landmark Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024 (SB 707).
As the first-of-its-kind mandatory statewide Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework for apparel and footwear in the U.S., SB 707 marks a historic shift in how we manage products at their end of life.
Why Effective EPR Matters Now More Than Ever:
- Keeps Waste Out of Landfills: Roughly 85% of textiles currently end up in landfills
- Shifts the Accountability: True EPR ensures that manufacturers, brands, and retailers fund and build the required systems for collection, repair, reuse, and recycling.
- Operational Reality: Input from industry front-liners ensures that new state regulations remain realistic, logistically sound, and executable across global supply chains.
- Economic & Climate Incentives: Effective EPR reduces the heavy waste management burdens on local taxpayers while driving down greenhouse gas emissions.
By actively participating in these sessions, we are helping to shape realistic, robust guidelines around definitions, online marketplace liabilities, and collection logistics. We are proud to keep our industry grounded in sustainable action while building a truly resilient circular economy.
