Latin America eyeing California textile EPR

SANTIAGO – Governments, apparel brands and recyclers meeting at the recent Global Textile Ministerial & Industry Summit in Santiago, Chile, heard that California’s pioneering textile extended producer responsibility (EPR) law has yet to provide a complete blueprint for circularity – even as other regions look to follow its lead.

The summit also underlined the continued importance of global trade in second‑hand clothing to make existing recovery systems work. Proctor pointed to France’s long‑running textile EPR scheme, where only a small proportion (5%) of reusable garments are absorbed domestically and fibre‑to‑fibre recycling remains limited (1%), with the remainder relying on export markets to find a second life.