ACT (American Circular Textiles)’s Post

🇺🇸“It’s the first bipartisan bill to contemplate fashion and the first time in history [textile] circularity has been contemplated at all at a federal level.” - Rachel Van Metre Kibbe (C.E.O of CSG (Circular Services Group) The "America’s Act"—co-sponsored by Senators Bill Cassidy (R-La) and @Michael Bennet (D-Colo)—is a huge win not only for our fractured political ecosystem but also for our planet. 👉The "America’s Act: What it Entails First introduced in March, the landmark legislation (which has yet to be passed) provides various tax credits, loans, and research incentives to spur growth in circular manufacturing and recycling programs. For those unfamiliar, circularity is a concept rooted in the principles of reuse and waste elimination. Unlike our current linear consumption models, the circular economy promises products with extended lifespans and minimal environmental impact. 🔄Implementing circular products, especially in consumer industries (such as fashion) – is pivotal in achieving our climate and waste-reduction goals. We believe that ‘The America’s Act’ is indicative of a broader shift in both public policy and consumer sentiment. 🌍As climate comes to the policymaking forefront, consumer markets will shift towards a new paradigm, emphasizing circular products and sustainable manufacturing processes. Our fund-of-funds is positioning itself for this macro-shift by focusing on a range of funds specializing in circular products, services, and enabling technologies.

New report | What do people want from a greener fashion industry? The current system is broken. Global growth in clothing production has outstripped GDP growth while the use per item has fallen leading to significant impacts on climate and nature, including: 🏭 5-10% of global emissions 💧 20% of industrial water pollution 🚮 73% of waste clothing is sent directly to landfill 👗 Up to 40% manufactured clothing is never sold or worn The UK public want things to change, and new polling suggests they expect government to intervene, with overwhelming support for: 🎯 Targets for reduction, reuse and recycling 📄 Standards to improve durability ❌ Banning the destruction of unsold goods The government can be sure that if it acts, public opinion will be behind it. Read the full analysis here 👉 https://bit.ly/3xL3yQj #EarthDay2024

It’s disappointing to see an innovative company like Renewcell file for bankruptcy because they couldn’t get sufficient funding. We have been cheering on Renewcell and its mission is to change the global textile industry for the better. Their bankruptcy speaks volumes about the realities the textile industry is facing and the dire need for public sector support to help spur innovation in sustainable fashion. Just like the early days of the solar industry, government involvement can be a critical driver of adoption and behavior change. In fact, there is a long history of government action to curb  pollutive industries - from plastic bags to electric vehicles - and we believe circular fashion should be the next frontier in sustainable policy. We are proud of the work we’re doing to engage policymakers through (ACT) American Circular Textiles Group; until fashion is no longer one of the most damaging sectors of the global economy, we will continue to advocate for the government to provide resources, incentives, and regulatory frameworks that make fashion and textile industries more sustainable and planet-friendly.

The latest Green Alliance report calls for urgent action from both government and businesses to tackle the wastefulness of fast fashion. It outlines key steps needed to build a more sustainable textiles industry. Ray Georgeson, Head of Policy at Zero Waste Scotland, commented: “It instinctively feels wrong for unsold goods and clothes to be destroyed without being used or worn, and the evidence of public views on this in the Green Alliance report overwhelmingly back that instinct. "Zero Waste Scotland continues to support the Scottish Government in bringing forward proposals for a ban on the disposal of unsold goods, which is a key feature of the Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill currently being considered by the Scottish Parliament.”  #FashionRevolutionWeek #CircularEconomy

🌎 Incredibly proud to see CBS spotlight 8090 Industries portfolio company Circ®, the leading company driving massive, meaningful impact in addressing the waste and emissions problem in the fashion industry led by Peter Majeranowski, Conor Hartman and Luke Henning. The fashion industry is responsible for ~10% of global greenhouse gas emissions (which is more than aviation and maritime combined). On top of that, it produces an ungodly amount of waste - most of which end up in landfill. To put in perspective: That's a garbage truck of fashion waste that is dumped every second, of every day. Yet, today, less than 1% of textile waste is recycled back into textiles. 🤔 Why? Most of our clothing, especially fast fashion, is a blend of cotton and polyester. Because of this, it’s been virtually impossible to recycle... until now. Circ®’s hydrothermal process seamlessly separates fibers from polyester blends, recycling the underlying materials and produces textiles cheaper than where brands get virgin material today (alot cheaper). Which is why groups like ZARA SA and Mara Hoffman have gone all in - and covered widely by Vogue Business and Fast Company. Vogue Business: Zara teams up with Circ to launch recycled fibre collection https://lnkd.in/grbE7cMT Fast Company: Mara Hoffman's gorgeuous new dress can be recylcled again and again thanks to Circ® https://lnkd.in/gPjs9ywV Circ® is pioneering a new dawn for a complete circular economy for textiles. Perhaps best captured by Conor Hartman here: "We have all the clothes we need to produce the clothes we would ever need." cc Kerem Ozmen Filip Vurdelja Wes Mendenhall Haluk Sabanci Dincer Grant Brown Ishan Meswani Garuth A. Emma Hessler #decarbonization #circulareconomy #sustainablefashion #climatetech

CALIFORNIA ADVANCES BILL TO HOLD FASHION ACCOUNTABLE FOR ITS WASTE Rachel Cernansky for Vogue Business Key Takeaways: 👨⚖️ California legislators have advanced a landmark bill that tries to address fashion’s sprawling waste problem through increased reuse, repair and recycling — and requiring producers to pay for these services to be scaled. ℹ The Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024 (SB-707), which proposes an extended producer responsibility (EPR) framework for clothing and textiles, passed the California Assembly Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday with a nine-versus-three vote. The next step will be the appropriations committee, which allocates funding and will determine fiscal cost of the bill, and it can then move to the assembly floor. 🗣 ”California’s share of waste from textiles keeps going up. It’s the single fastest-growing component in our landfills, and that’s ironic because 90-something per cent of textiles are recyclable, there just isn’t a system in place to affect that process,” says State Senator Josh Newman, who introduced the bill. “This bill is very deliberate in trying to create a circular economy around textiles — where if you buy a pair of socks, a couple pennies of the cost of that sock are going to be earmarked for this process.” 🔊 The language in the bill is intentionally non-specific. Because it creates a process that has no precedent in the US, there are a lot of unknowns that will only be identified or addressed as they arise. By wording certain requirements in broad terms — and with the ability to continue to amend the bill as it navigates the legislative process before passage — proponents of the bill say CalRecycle and other stakeholders will have the flexibility to explore and refine the process in real time. 💥 While the bill has now passed out of committee, there is still plenty of time to amend it further, which Fibershed and The Or Foundation hope will happen. The governance structure for the PRO board of directors is a top priority for what they want to see amended, along with a provision to establish standards for where materials end up (as opposed to just tracking them there) and more explicit links to environmental and public health impact data. LEARN MORE: https://lnkd.in/diiUTMbh #fashion #california #sustainibility #web3 #ai #metaversefashion

More big changes in the #recycling industry with a much greater scope for compliance, targeting a vastly increasing waste sector. Around 1.2m tonnes of clothing waste is produced in the UK annually and the UK government has indicated its likelihood to introduce textile EPR. What does this mean for businesses? Compliance is nearby on the horizon so looking ahead will involve preparing data for reporting and well as considering improvements in garment recyclability and schemes, as well as the financial implications. What does this mean for the environment? The impact of the pricing of textile waste depends greatly on the prices set, ensuring these are in line with valuations of the externalities is key to the implications for the environment. It’s important that the scheme involves incentives for implementing and enhancing closed-loops to instigate reduction in waste to landfill, both through funding to improved textile recycling systems or rewarding collection schemes the business has in place. Looking forward to seeing how the regulations are rolled out in both the EU and UK! ♻️ #wastereduction #circulareconomy #sustainablefashion #environmentalcompliance

🌍👕 Big News for Sustainable Fashion! 👚♻️ The European Parliament has just taken a giant leap towards sustainability by adopting their position in favour of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation for textiles. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gfNAwzYg This marks a significant first step towards a greener future for fashion and textiles as part of the EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e-EGA25X With just a few more hurdles to clear, the momentum is clearly building. Once approved, this legislation will mandate the setup of schemes for the separate collection of textiles for reuse and recycling by January 1st, 2025. The clock is ticking, as businesses will have an 18-month window to comply once the final nod is given. March will be a pivotal month as the next vote takes place, right before the June elections. The pressure is on for businesses to adapt and innovate within this tight timeframe. Fear not, because Reconomy is here to make this transition smooth and efficient! With our expertise in technology, logistics, data services, and compliance schemes, we're equipped to help set up take-back programs and ensure you stay ahead of the curve. Keep your eyes peeled for ReDress, our upcoming service designed to revolutionize textile recycling and reuse. We'll be revealing more details in the next month, and trust us, you won't want to miss it! 👀🔜 Stay tuned, and let's make sustainable fashion the norm, not the exception! 🔗 https://bit.ly/3T3zuru #SustainableFashion #EPR #TextileRecycling #ReconomyInsights #Reconomy #ReDress #CircularEconomy #ThinkCircular #Sustainability

Such an important step and Reconomy is well placed to enable a circular textiles economy

Yesterday, the European Parliament took a step towards sustainability in the textile 👕 industry by adopting their position in favour of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation ⚖ for textiles. If you are unsure how your business should prepare for this, speak to us today. #ReDress #EPR #TextilesEPR #extendedproducerresponsibility #EPRforTextiles #TextilesLegislation #circulareconomy