In a LinkedIn post, AAFA president Steve Lamar said close followers of textile circularity have been “actively engaged or actively watching” the state’s rollout of the first textile-specific extended producer responsibility (EPR) law in the US. The association, he said, has worked “tirelessly with stakeholders and legislators” to ensure the final text created a strong and workable circularity framework for the industry.
With the law now enacted, the trade body said it has been eager to begin building the infrastructure needed to support a well-designed, well-implemented EPR system that advances industry sustainability and circularity goals.
But Lamar claimed CalRecycle’s initial choice of PRO “meets none” of the four statutory criteria the association fought to have embedded in the law. These include:
- A producer-formed PRO,
- A PRO with a diverse Board of Directors representing the full scale and scope of the industry,
- A PRO that is a 501(c)(3), and
- A PRO that has robust financial controls.
The president noted that the PRO is intended to be created by producers themselves, who are “best situated to understand how to properly collect, transport, repair, sort, and recycle their products” and who will be on the front lines of redesigning goods for a more circular economy.
“AAFA is intimately familiar with how important final EPR logistics will be in directing investment towards reuse, repair, and recycling infrastructure, and bolstering these respective markets, all while incentivising the prioritisation of product stewardship when designing and manufacturing new products.”
Framing the legal move as a last resort, he added: “This complaint is not an action AAFA takes lightly, and this is not the direction we envisioned or wanted. However, we feel we have no recourse but to pursue it.”
The association filed what Lamar described as a “narrow challenge” that it hopes will be resolved quickly.
AAFA emphasised its deep investment in the success of the country’s first-ever textile EPR scheme, calling its effective operation “vital to supporting the industry’s circular transition.
“AAFA is eager to see a PRO selected that meets the criteria mandated by the statute. We look forward to clarity from CalRecycle through our legal challenge.”
CalRecycle had not responded to Just Style's request for comment at the time of writing.
