California’s textile recovery law is moving from statutory deadlines to implementation details—and American Circular Textiles, or AMCIRC, is keeping tabs.
The policy coalition’s second SB 707 implementation briefing updates its free public tracker with developments across three fronts: Landbell USA’s work as the state’s designated producer responsibility organization, CalRecycle’s regulatory workshops and an ongoing legal challenge to the organization’s selection.
The tracker debuted in March to help companies follow the rollout of SB 707. The 2024 California law puts producers in charge of a statewide recovery program for used clothing and household textiles.
“CalRecycle’s informal workshops are where the details of SB 707 will take shape. The whole textile value chain needs to be in that room. Our SB 707 hub is a free resource that puts clear, standardized implementation information in one place, so you show up informed, then get involved. We advocate for and guide our members through every step. What happens in California sets the template for everyone else,” Rachel Kibbe, founder and CEO of American Circular Textiles, said in a statement.
The next opportunity to weigh in is Nov. 12, when CalRecycle will hold a workshop from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time in Sacramento and online. The agenda covers the producer responsibility plan, contingency planning, plan termination, revocation of a PRO’s status and annual reports.
Participants can ask questions and offer comments in person or through Zoom. A separate webcast will allow observation only.
The session follows workshops held Aug. 13 and Sept. 29. Those discussions addressed definitions, online marketplaces, collection access, reuse and repair, responsible end markets and producer identification and exemptions.
The coalition expects CalRecycle to hold informal workshops through spring 2027 and begin formal rulemaking around the middle of that year. Under the agency’s timeline, the regulations cannot take effect before July 1, 2028.
Producers have already faced their first deadline. After approving Landbell USA on Feb. 27, CalRecycle required covered producers to join the organization by July 1.
That deadline has passed, but registration remains open. The briefing lists a $1,000 registration fee for the cycle running July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, and warns that unregistered covered producers risk fines of up to $10,000 per day.
The $1,000 fee helps fund the needs assessment and program development, according to Landbell. Companies registering for the 2026-27 cycle do not have to submit product supply or volume figures.
The needs assessment, due to CalRecycle by March 1, 2027, will map California’s existing textile collection, hauling, reuse, repair, recycling and disposal capacity. It will also identify infrastructure gaps and investment needs to inform the program’s plan and budget.
Landbell has said it is outsourcing that work to a third-party contractor. According to AMCIRC, the contractor had not been announced as of Oct. 14.
Landbell’s board includes representatives from Target, Gap, Nike, Reformation and Columbia Sportswear, alongside organizations working in reuse, recycling and other parts of the textile supply chain.
Its designation, nevertheless, remains the subject of a court challenge. The American Apparel & Footwear Association sued CalRecycle in March, alleging that Landbell USA did not meet the law’s requirement that producers form the PRO. Landbell is a real party in interest.
AAFA sought a preliminary injunction to pause implementation during the lawsuit. The court rejected that request Sept. 17, the briefing reports. Work on the program can continue, but the challenge to Landbell’s selection remains pending. The court confirmed Oct. 12 that a hearing on the underlying challenge remains scheduled for March 12, 2027, the coalition reported.
Asked for comment, AAFA directed Sourcing Journal to a Sept. 18 statement announcing that it would continue pursuing the case.
Steve Lamar, AAFA’s president and CEO, said the association would advocate for “a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) that complies with the law and reflects the full breadth of the industry it serves.”
AAFA’s objections center on producer governance, board representation, nonprofit status and financial oversight. The association reiterated its support for SB 707’s textile circularity goals while challenging CalRecycle’s choice of the organization tasked with implementing them.
The second briefing is available through AMCIRC’s SB 707 hub, alongside its implementation tracker and earlier briefing.
