Landbell USA has been selected by the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) as the official Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) for the Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024 (SB 707), the first legislation of its kind in the US.

The law establishes a formal framework for collecting, repairing, reusing and recycling apparel and textile products.

As the PRO, Landbell USA will oversee end-to-end management of covered products sold in California, develop a comprehensive Producer Responsibility Plan, and expand repair, reuse and recycling infrastructure in the state.

Landbell USA was chosen over Circular Textile Alliance and Textile Renewal Alliance, which both also submitted applications to become PRO. 

“California is setting a global precedent for textile sustainability," Patrick Gibbs, textile lead at Landbell USA, commented.

"Our goal is to provide a seamless, transparent, and highly effective program that requires producers to fund a product stewardship programme for the covered materials they put into the California marketplace, while providing Californians with accessible options for textile recovery.”

Landbell USA's responsibilities include conducting a statewide needs assessment, maintaining a registry of covered producers and delivering annual financial and progress reports to CalRecycle.

The non-profit says it operations will be guided by a diverse board representing multiple sectors of the apparel and textile industries and, to ensure public trust, it will undergo annual financial audits.

John Hayes, president of Landbell USA, added: “By leveraging Landbell’s global expertise in Extended Producer Responsibility, we are prepared to turn the challenges of textile waste into a robust system of resource recovery.”