The United States, a major importer of textiles, faces significant problems related to labour rights violations and environmental impact from consumption. Solutions such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes and sustainable innovations are beginning to reshape the industry's future.

The United States is one of the largest consumers of textiles globally, leading to substantial environmental impact through high levels of textile waste, water consumption, and carbon emissions. On average, Americans discard vast quantities of clothing each year, much of which ends up in landfills. This excessive waste generation threatens the climate change and biosphere integrity boundaries of the Planetary Boundaries framework.

Beyond environmental issues, the US textile industry also suffers from labour rights violations, particularly minimum wage violations and unpaid overtime, especially affecting migrant and low-skilled workers.

These systemic issues have made it difficult for the industry to maintain ethical standards while managing its environmental impact.

In the US, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes are gaining traction as a strategy to address the environmental challenges posed by various products, including textiles.

EPR is a policy mechanism that places responsibility on producers for the collection, sorting, and recirculation of their products after they have been used by consumers. It is also known as a tool to deliver funding and capital investments for the infrastructure needed for sorting, reuse, repair and recycling systems, in addition to delivering transparency and traceability of global material flows. Thus, EPR also works as an incentive to spur collective action for circularity targets. EPR shifts the responsibility for managing the end-of-life of products from the consumer to the producer. EPR can play a crucial role in addressing planetary boundary damages, such as pollution and chemical loading, by ensuring manufacturers are accountable for the lifecycle impacts of their products.

California is a pioneer in this approach, having established an EPR programme for textiles in 2023. This initiative requires producers to manage the end-of-life of their textiles, from collection to recycling and proper disposal. By establishing a network of collection points and robust recycling and reuse initiatives, California's programme aims to divert textiles from landfills, conserve resources, and reduce the environmental footprint of the textile industry.

The success of California's pioneering programme sets a precedent and serves as a blueprint for other states seeking to address the challenges of textile waste management. New York State is an example of another state following in the same direction.

Combined efforts, including an extended producer responsibility, are expected to significantly reduce textile waste and emissions in the US. By raising consumer awareness and holding producers accountable through EPR schemes, the country is slowly shifting towards a more sustainable fashion industry. While the move is ongoing, it fosters a culture of transparency, where labour rights violations and unsustainable practices are being addressed more effectively.

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