Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1533930
Eastman is also working with sortation firm Debrand for feedstock. In the pilot that was announced last April, Eastman tapped Debrand for its waste collection capabilities, ultimately aiming to recycle 5,000 pounds of pre-and post-consumer apparel waste. Legal Ramifications Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) will be a large piece of the puzzle in addressing textile waste. It places the responsibility for end-of-life product management on producers, incentivizing designing for recyclability. California's Responsible Textile Recovery Act holds the apparel and textile industry responsible for making sure their products get collected, repaired, reused, and recycled. e Act became effective on January 1, 2025. EPR laws put a value on waste so if firms make things that are easier to recycle, their fees are less. But will these rates be high enough to incentivize companies? According to the EU Waste Framework Directive, all European member states are required to establish separate collection systems for used textiles by January 1, 2025. Textile waste must be collected separately from other waste streams, with the goal of reusing and recycling more textiles. is also includes implementing an EPR directive where textile producers are held accountable for the end-of-life, covering the costs of collection, sorting, and recycling. One company attempting to tackle the issue in Europe is Germany's CuRe, which specializes in polyester rejuvenation. e firm handles both plastics and textiles, so they are skilled in being able to obtain the materials needed (bottles, carpets, packaging) to attempt to both meet regulation expectations and provide necessary feedstock. Currently 91% of used polyester cannot be recycled due to coloring and contamination. Bottom Line for Suppliers and Brands All of this begs the question, if the vast majority of our clothing is going to landfills, does it make sense for brands to design garments with organic and recycled fibers? At YKK, Senior Manager of Sustainability, Brian La Plante, has been getting brand requests for mono-material zippers. Such zippers are designed to be processed in either nylon or polyester recycling systems. e firm offers a Nylon Vislon zipper and a PET coil zipper. "Depending on the item, they are not necessarily a 100% mono-material zipper. For example, on our NATULON Plus PET with recycled PET open parts we use a metal slider instead textileinsight.com Spring 2025 ~ Textile Insight • 21 Left: To create Naia Renew, Eastman draws upon post-consumer carpets and other hard-to-recycle materials. Above: The North Face Circularity Process.