Circular Threads: A Blueprint for California’s Textile Recovery Under SB 707

California generated an estimated 1.2 million tons of post-consumer textile waste in 2021, yet the state lacks the data infrastructure needed to manage it effectively. In 2024, California enacted SB 707, the Responsible Textile Recovery Act, establishing the first textile Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program in the United States. While SB 707 creates a legal framework for textile recovery, the baseline data needed to set collection targets, design infrastructure, and evaluate environmental trade-offs remains largely absent.

This project was designed in partnership with Retold Recycling to address that gap through three analyses: a baseline waste assessment, a life cycle assessment of end-of-use pathways across fiber types, and a comparative emissions analysis of mail-back versus fixed kiosk collection across California's varied geographic conditions.

Key findings include that non-landfill diversion channels account for 13–27% of the end-of-use textile waste stream, while the other 73%-87% go to landfill. Garment repair and reuse consistently outperform recycling and disposal, and the environmental benefits of all pathways depend heavily on the rate at which secondary materials displace virgin production. Collection method decisions should account for geographic context and per-trip travel emissions rather than defaulting to fixed infrastructure.

The project team recommends a multi-faceted approach to supporting equitable and effective SB 707 implementation, emphasizing mandatory data reporting across all collection operators, a tiered multi-channel collection system matched to California's geographic diversity, end-market transparency standards, and economic incentives that align secondary material with primary market demand.

Acknowledgements

UC Santa Barbara Bren School: Dr. Roland Geyer, Professor; Dr. Mark Buntaine, Professor; Jaenna Wessling, PhD Student Advisor

External Advisors: Elizabeth Braun, Waste Management Program Specialist for the County of Santa Barbara; Dr. Joanne Brasch, Assistant Director of the California Product Stewardship Council; and Sarah Stark, Franchise Contracts Liaison & Educator at Marborg Industries

Retold Recycling Team: Amelia Trumble, CEO and Co-Founder; Aidyn Dervaes, Marketing and Social Coordinator; and Daniel Hutchins, Operations

Other Industry Experts and Collaborators: Jené D’Ambrosio, Owner of ECO World Trading; Jon Devine, Senior Economist at Cotton Incorporated; Mark Funkhouser, Executive Facilities Director at Chumash Casino Resort; Peter Canepa, LCA Specialist for the State of Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality; Dr. Emily Oertling, Assistant Professor at Sacramento State University; Rose Mba Mebiame, Statistician at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; and the CalRecycle Textiles team for their insight