NEW STUDY SHOWS BOOSTING REUSE CAN CREATE JOBS, CUT CARBON EMISSIONS, AND REDUCE LANDFILL COSTS
A new report published by USAgain, in collaboration with Cascadia Consulting Group, spotlights California’s opportunity to cement its role as the nation’s leader on environmental policy by supporting textile reuse.
Nearly 1.2 million tons of textiles were sent to California landfills in 2021, costing the state around $99 million per year in fees. Under California’s Responsible Textile Recovery Act (SB 707), brands will be responsible for the entire lifecycle of their products. The study shows that diverting 10% of textiles to reuse could create 1,000 green jobs, while 24% could create 2,500 jobs. Up to 1.7 million metric tons of CO2 could be saved if 24% of clothes currently landfilled were put back into circulation instead - equivalent to nearly five gas-powered industrial plants.
Critical to this success is improving Californians’ access to a collection system capable of handling the increased recovery of used textiles. While donation bins are one of the easiest and most scalable methods to collect clothes from consumers, local siting and permitting rules can unintentionally restrict the very collection infrastructure on which SB 707 depends.
“Reuse should always come first,” said Mattias Wallander, CEO of USAgain, “Keeping clothing in use delivers the biggest environmental benefit because it preserves the water, energy, dyes, and materials already used in textile production. SB 707 is a real opportunity for California to lead, but success depends on making it simple for people to do the right thing with their unwanted clothing through convenient, community-based collection.”
Access the full report here:
