“It should have been done a long time ago.”

California has approved a bill to help address the dark side effects of the outwardly shiny fast fashion industry, requiring manufacturers to implement repair and recycling programs.

According to CalMatters’ Digital Democracy Project, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024 on September 28, more than a year after the bill began making its way through the state Legislature.

The act is intended to solve the growing problem of waste from the fashion industry. CalMatters notes in its analysis that in 2018, the Golden State discarded more than 1.3 million tons of textiles.

As it currently stands, the state sends 45% of donated items abroad, which contributes to environmental pollution, and once they get there, a large part of them still ends up in landfills, where they produce heat-trapping gases such as methane.

For example, in Ghana, whose beaches are polluted by fast-fashion waste, 40% of the 15 million pieces of clothing received every week are thrown away. Overall, despite the fact that 95% of materials in California are recyclable, only 15% of clothing and textiles are reused.

Democratic state Sen. Josh Newman, the bill’s sponsor, told The Guardian that the disturbing data inspired him to take action.

“We worked really hard to consult and ultimately align all the stakeholders in the textile lifecycle so that in the end there would be no opposition,” he explained. “It’s an incredibly difficult thing to do, given the scale of the problem and all the very different interests.”

According to the Guardian, the program is scheduled to go into effect in 2028, and many supporters predict it will create as many as 1,000 jobs in the Golden State.

Details are still being worked out. However, apparel manufacturers that do not already participate in eco-friendly programs will have incentives to adopt greener practices, including recycling collection sites and return shipping programs.

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And while some worry the legislation could disproportionately impact small businesses and mid-sized brands, ultimately pushing prices on to consumers, Newman estimates the cost should be less than 10 cents per item of clothing or textile.

“I think (California’s new law) is something that should have been done a long time ago,” sustainable fashion designer Yotam Solomon, founder of indie fashion brand Virtue, told the Guardian. “Unfortunately, the industry has allowed this to happen.”

Director of Outreach and Outreach for the California Product Stewardship Council, Dr. Joanne Brasch, a co-author of the legislation, also emphasized that the 10 percent increase would be nothing compared to the taxes that would likely occur if things stayed the same . According to CalRecycle, Californians pay more than $70 million annually to dispose of textile waste.

“Our garbage bills will go up if cities have to deal with this; our taxes will increase if we have to address environmental damage,” Dr Brasch told the Guardian.

Jessica Toth, executive director at the Solana Center for Environmental Innovation Act, which teaches people skills like sewing to keep items out of landfills, told Spectrum News 1 before the approval of the Textile Recovery Act that the bill is an important step forward.

“The idea is that producers will take responsibility. Therefore, collection sites will be set up where the material can actually be recycled,” Toth said. “Regulations cause change. They bring attention to this issue, they attract investment in this issue.”

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