A
pril 18, 2023
T
he Honorable Thomas J. Umberg
Chair, Senate Judiciary Committee,
1021 O Street, Room 3240,
Sacramento, CA 95814
S
ubmitted via Position Letter Portal
R
E: SB 707 (Newm an) – Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2023 – SUPPORT D
ear Senator Newman,
On
behalf of the undersigned organizations, we support SB 707: Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2023, to establish a comprehensive textile EPR program to establish local collection infrastructure.
Attachment 8
Textiles is the fifth most common material and the fastest growing category in residential and commercial waste streams in California. Textile and clothing producers over-produce hard-to- manage materials that can absorb, tangle, and combust if mixed into plastic recycling system.
The cost burden for managing unusable textiles has fallen on thrifts, collectors, and secondhand markets, while producers keep making products with no plan for what to do with them when they are no longer wearable. For too long, textiles collected under the guise of recycling ended up in markets with less infrastructure and environmental protections. Industry efforts to increase textile reuse, repair, and recycling options have proven siloed and lacking transparency.
C
alifornia has a long history of learned experiences with EPR and an opportunity to make a global impact by establishing a first-of-its kind EPR program for textiles that builds on the precedent set in the state by other EPR programs. There is currently only one textile EPR program that exists in the entire world. It’s up to California, a top global waste generator, to take impactful actions to address textile waste and sets the stage as a center for sustainable fashion.
F
or these reasons, we support SB 707 and appreciate your leadership on this critical issue.
S
incerely,
D
oug Kobold, Executive Director
California Product Stewardship Council
C
onnie Ulasewicz, Founder & President
CBU Productions
J
ordan Wells, Director of Advocacy &
Communications
National Stewardship Action Council
M
elissa Romero, Senior Legislative
Manager
California Environmental Voters
N
ick Lapis, Director of Advocacy
Californians Against Waste
K
rystle Moody Wood, Founder
Materevolve
Z
ahlen Titcomb, CEO
Ravel
P
eter Majeranowski, President
Circ, Inc.
B
ill Allayaud, California Director of
Government Affairs
Environmental Working Group
N
ikki Eclarinal, Policy Manager
Fashion Revolution USA
Attachment 8
S
arah Koplowicz, Consultant
R3 Consulting Group, Inc.
N
ora L. Scully, Innovation Designer
ScullySpark
Laura McKaughans, President
CRRA
E
ric Oddo, PE, Program Manager
Western Placer Waste Management
Authority
S
hell Cleave, Founder
Sea Hugger
S
usy Borlido, Co-Executive Director
Sustainable Works
L
ynda Koskela , Executive Director
Repeat Reuse Inc.
A
nupama Pasricha, Department Chair
St. Catherine University
K
arla Magruder, President & Founder
Accelerating Circularity
L
eslie Robinson, Program Manager
Santa Barbara County Resource Recovery &
Waste Management Division
C olene McBeth, Director
Cirtex
J
illian Clark, Founder & CEO
Roboro
L
eslie Lukacs, Executive Director
Zero Waste Sonoma
J
im Lindburg, Legislative Consultant
Friends Committee on Legislation of
California
S
ofia Ratcovich, CEO
Zero Waste Company
Attachment 8
Joe La Mariana, Executive Director
ReThink Waste
R. Patrick Mathews, General Manager/CAO
Salinas Valley Recycles
Kerrie Romanow, Director of
Environmental Services
City of San Jose
Bob Sly, Media Director
Zero Waste San Diego
Michael Caprio, Director Government
Affairs
Republic Services
Franco Rossi, President
AQUAFIL
Bruce Houdesheldt, Mayor
City of Roseville
Alison Waliszewski, Policy Director
5 Gyres Institute
Shay Sethi
Shay Sethi, CEO
Ambercycle
Constanza Gomez, CEO
Sortile
Sakereh Carter, Senior Policy Advocate
Sierra Club CA
Kathryn Pisano, Environmental Services
Manager
Santa Clara County Recycling and Waste
Reduction Commission
Jessica Robinson, President
Northern California Recycling Association
Emily Parker, Coastal and Marine Scientist
Heal the Bay
Dianna Cohen, Co-Founder & CEO
Plastic Pollution Coalition
Mati Waiya, Executive Director
Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation
Attachment 8
Roland Williams
Roland P. Williams, Jr., General Manager
Castro Valley Sanitary District (CVSan)
C
hristopher Chin, Executive Director
The Center for Oceanic Awareness,
Research, and Education (COARE)
J
enn Engstrom, State Director
California Public Interest Research Group
(CALPIRG)
L
iz Bordessa, Co-Founder
Upcycle it Now
U
rska Trunk, Campaign Manager
Changing Markets Foundation
S
cott Cassell, CEO and Founder
Product Stewardship Institute
H
eather Podoll, Partnership and Advocacy
Coordinator
Fibershed
V
icki Patterson, President
Stand Up To Trash
L eslie Mintz Tamminen, Director
Seventh Generation Advisors
R
uth Abbe, President
Zero Waste USA
J
ulie Andersen, Global Executive Director
Plastic Oceans International
K
athleen Talbot, Chief Sustainability
Officer & Vice President of Operations
Reformation
L
eVonne Stone, Co-Founder and Executive
Director
Fort Ord Environmental Justice Network
K
im Suarez, Raw Materials Specialist
Marmot
L
arry Klein, Mayor
City of Sunnyvale
D
ana Davis, Vice President of Sustainability
Mara Hoffman Inc.
R
ebecca Ballard, Executive Director
The Fashion Connection
Attachment 8
L
aura Ferrante. Governmental Affairs
Advocate
Resource Recovery Coalition of California
M
artin Stenfors, COO
Renewcell AB
J
uanyae "Jae" Allen, Founder & CEO
Ouros Industries
M
attias Wallander, CEO
USAgain
Attachment 8