The Washington-based Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) has expressed a  readiness to engage with California’s latest Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024, which was passed on August 30^th and will place an extended producer responsibility (EPR) scheme on manufacturers.

“AAFA and our members are keenly interested in policies that will help make progress towards the textile, apparel and footwear industry’s sustainability and circularity goals,” said AAFA president and CEO Steve Lamar. “We believe well-designed EPR schemes will play a crucial role in directing investment towards reuse, repair and recycling infrastructure, bolstering respective markets while incentivising the prioritisation of product stewardship when designing and manufacturing new products. We are gratified that the bill is more implementable and better supports industry efforts towards circularity than what was introduced almost two years ago.”

He added that AAFA is pleased that stakeholder engagement has been prioritised throughout a two-year legislative session and amendments have addressed some its concerns by tightening a loophole for online marketplaces, ensuring the resale efforts of brands will be accounted for and their circularity partners will be able to participate in the programme. It will also remove brand liability for counterfeit products.

“This collaboration led to us to withdraw our opposition to the legislation,” Lamar said. “The industry would have preferred to have sees some additional amendments to provide for harmonisation with the European Union on the definition of recycling, for example, and to eliminate restrictions on the sale of recycled textiles and fully close the loophole for third-party sellers on online marketplaces.  However, we look forward to continued work with the State of California on this programme. The EPR programme’s successful operation will be vital to supporting the industry’s circular transition.”

www.aafaglobal.org