WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.), co-chairs of the Senate Recycling Caucus, today held a roundtable discussion with stakeholders to explore ways to improve pathways for textile recycling, resale, repair, and reuse in the United States.
Attendees included U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Dacie Meng, Policy and Institutions Senior Manager for North America at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Alon Rotem, Chief Legal Officer at thredUP, Randi Marshall, Head of Government and Public Affairs for the Americas at the H&M Group, Alex Schenck, Director of Public Policy for Environment and Sustainability at Walmart, and Molly Hemstreet, Co-Executive Director of The Industrial Commons.
“Every second, a dump truck of textiles ends up in a landfill, and the fashion industry is responsible for nearly ten percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions — more than the aviation sector and maritime shipping combined,” said Senator Carper. “Addressing the challenges of reducing textile waste requires private and public entities to work together, and that’s exactly what we are doing. Our roundtable discussion shed light on opportunities to improve textile recycling, and I thank Senator Boozman, Congresswoman Pingree, and all of our stakeholders for their participation.”
“Having input from companies leading sustainable solutions and implementing new and innovative ways to reuse textiles is important to enhancing strategies for a more circular market,” said Senator Boozman. “I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Senate Recycling Caucus and these stakeholders to turn ideas into policies to improve the industry and the environment.”
BACKGROUND:
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an estimated 14.7 percent of discarded clothing and textile products are collected for reuse and recycling annually. The United States has some infrastructure to collect, sort, grade, and recycle textile products; however, the majority of the nearly 15 percent of articles collected in the United States are sold to low-income regions around the world for resale. Only one percent of textile waste collected for new end markets goes to fiber-to-fiber recycling. This represents not only a loss of economically valuable material but also has negative social and environmental impacts.
