California news and archive

Responsible Textile Recovery Act passes in California

A new piece of “groundbreaking” legislation has passed in California, establishing what is said to be the US’ first Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) textile recycling programme. The Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024 (Senate Bill 707) involves the creation of a framework for producers and other members of the value chain to “take...

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What to know about the Californian act pushing for textile recovery

Last month, the Responsible Textile Recovery Act (SB 707) passed the California Assembly Natural Resources Committee, taking it one step closer to being implemented into legislation in the Sunshine State. It is one of many bills hoping to bolster the sustainable textile industry currently attempting to be signed into law across the US. If...

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Over one million dollars recovered for Californian garment workers

The US Department of Labor has said that it has recovered over one million dollars in back wages and damages for 165 garment workers after an investigation found a series of malpractices by Los Angeles garment contractors. The settlement, considered to be the largest for Californian garment workers to date, was linked to the operations of four...

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California is first US state to ban animal fur

A statewide ban on the production and sale of animal fur products officially went into effect in California on January 1, 2023. With the enactment of the law Assembly Bill 44, California became the first state in America to ban animal fur. To this day, a hundred million animals are being killed each year for the fashion industry, as reported by...

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California passes bill banning PFAS in textiles

The California State Assembly has announced the passing of its ‘Safer Clothes and Textiles Act’ which would ban the use of certain chemicals in new fabrics and textiles. The law specifically targets per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) which have been proven by various studies to be toxic and can pose significant health risks, as noted by...

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California passes Garment Worker Protection Act

On Monday, September 27th, 2021, governor Gavin Newsom signed the Garment Worker Protection Act (SB62) into California law. This means that the more than 45,000 Californian garment workers will receive at least a minimum wage for their labor, currently 14 US dollars per hour. In comparison, garment workers have been struggling for decades under...