The fashion industry threatens the environment with pollution, waste, and resource depletion. New laws push for transparency and sustainability in the sector.

The fashion industry is one of the largest industries in the world, and it has somehow managed to remain almost entirely unregulated. Every year, the fashion industry generates 92 million tons of landfill waste, adding pollutants to the environment and using up vast amounts of resources in the process. Over the past 15 years, textile production has doubled. Without authoritative intervention, the industry will continue to expand with disregard for the environmental cost. 

A disturbing majority of companies operate with little to no legal oversight, free to make their own decisions when it comes to sustainability and transparency. Governments across the globe are slowly adopting and implementing new legislation in hopes of minimizing the fashion industry’s environmental and social impacts. 

EARTHDAY.ORG’s new report, Broken Threads & Twisted Yarns: Legislating the Reform of Fashion, covered the fashion industry’s environmental impacts and recent legislative efforts to make the industry more sustainable. Here are three laws featured in the report specifically focused on waste that exemplify ways governments can regulate a largely unchecked industry in order to benefit our planet.

1. European Union: Ban On Destruction Of Unsold Textiles

As part of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, the E.U. introduced a groundbreaking ban on the destruction of unsold clothing and footwear, a significant step toward having a sustainable fashion industry. This law, which will take effect in July of 2026 for the largest enterprises and from July 2030 for medium-sized enterprises,  aims to combat the environmental impact of fashion by prohibiting the disposal of unsold clothing items through incineration or landfilling.

The legislation is part of the E.U.’s broader strategy to promote a circular economy, where products and materials are reused, repaired, and recycled. Under the new rule, fashion companies are required to find alternative solutions for their unsold stock, such as donating to charities recycling or repurposing the materials for new products. This shift is expected to reduce the volume of textile waste significantly and hopefully encourages more sustainable practices in the industry.

2. California, USA: Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024

The Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024 is a trailblazing piece of legislation. It is the first program in the U.S. that holds fashion companies accountable for the recycling, reuse, and collection of their products. The bill was approved by California Governor Gavin Newsom in September of 2024 after passing in the state senate with an 80% majority vote. 

The bill requires apparel manufacturers in the state to create and join a producer responsibility organization (PRO). Each PRO must develop a plan that oversees the lifecycle of their company’s textile products, including collection, transportation, repair, sorting, recycling, and safe management. By July 1, 2026, all producers must be a part of a PRO approved by the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery. By July 1, 2028 the Department must adopt regulations to implement the stewardship program, to create and implement a plan for textile waste management and set requirements for its execution. Thereafter the PRO has one year to create a program to collect, repair, and recycle apparel and textiles. Once that is approved, the PRO has one year to implement it. By July 1, 2030 producer obligations take effect and must be in compliance to avoid civil penalties. 

To ensure transparency and accountability in the fashion industry, the PROs are required to report their activities and progress every year. Additionally, the department plans to maintain a public list of all compliant producers in California, allowing consumers to make more informed purchasing choices. If a company violates their program’s requirements, they can be fined up to $10,000 per day or $50,000 per day for an intentional violation. 

In 2023, New York State introduced the New York Proposal for Textile EPR essentially following the same structure as the California EPR bill. 

3. Chile: The Draft Circular Economy Strategy for Textiles

The Chilean Ministry of Environment proposed the Draft Circular Economy Strategy for Textiles in August, 2024. This strategy, which is part of a bigger effort to shift away from linear economies in Chile, follows the vision of the Roadmap for a Circular Chile by 2040. The strategy is aimed at transforming Chile’s textile industry toward sustainability. It focuses on reducing the environmental impact of textile industries by promoting circular practices such as recycling, reuse, and extending the lifespan of garments. The strategy envisions a reduction in textile waste, enhanced resource efficiency, and a shift from a linear “take-make-dispose” model to a circular economy where textiles are used, reused, and ultimately recycled into new products.

Two major issues for Chile’s textile sector are that Chile imports many thousands of tons of used textiles each year, 70% of which end up in landfills and illegal dumps, and Chile’s own high consumption rate of new clothing.  This proposed regulation addresses both. The strategy outlines several key actions, including designing products for durability and recyclability, improving waste management systems (including an Extended Producer Responsibility requirement), and establishing a national recycling infrastructure. It also promotes consumer awareness and business involvement in sustainable practices. This policy sets a clear framework for textile producers, retailers, and consumers to minimize waste and environmental harm. The Chilean strategy could serve as a model for other nations seeking to align the fashion industry with principles of circularity and sustainability.

Don’t Be Fashionably Late! Act Now.

While these pieces of legislation highlight ways that governments have regulated the fashion industry to benefit the planet, there is still much progress to be made. As consumers, everyone has power and a voice when it comes to changing the wasteful ways of fashion. The first step to enacting change is to educate yourself and in turn help teach others. To learn more about the environmental footprint of the fashion industry and other recent laws pushing for change globally, read and share EARTHDAY.ORG’s report.

The fashion industry is still in dire need of reform. EARTHDAY.ORG’s petition for change is calling on the U.S. Administration to instruct the EPA, Federal Trade Commission, and U.S. Department of Labor to create regulations to protect the environment and people’s health. Sign now to join the movement against fast fashion and help advocate for transparency as well as sustainability in fashion industries.

People living in the U.S. can also send an email to local lawmakers. As the U.S. falls behind other countries in progressive fashion legislation, you can urge your legislators to stand against fast fashion and end the greedy consumption of the earth’s finite resources and the exploitation of its workers.

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The concept of “going green” has gained popularity over the last several years and is generally well received by the public, with 55 percent of US citizens claiming they have made changes in their lives to be more sustainable. If that is the case, why are we not seeing green cities in the United States? Many are trying, and a few have actually made strides, but legal and bureaucratic barriers at both the state and federal levels make municipal sustainability more difficult to get there.

• Preemption

One of the greatest barriers to implementing green laws is preemption. Preemption is the legal power of the higher level of government to lessen or nullify laws at the lower levels. This power is used at both the federal and state level preventing cities from implementing certain environmental laws. 

For instance, states cannot impose additional restrictions on air pollution if they are stricter than those implemented by the federal Clean Air Act. This prevents cities from being able to effectively limit personal vehicle use with emission restrictions. 

At the state level, we’ve seen many cities’ environmental laws blocked, including fracking bans and renewable energy plans. Without change at the federal or state levels, cities may not even have the opportunity to implement green laws or plans, as they’re blocked before they can.

This even happens somewhat unintentionally with archaic laws. In 1914, California revamped their water right laws, allotting water rights to properties near water sources, and requiring permits otherwise. Water holdings before this change were protected, do not require a permit, and are maintained to this day. These pre 1914 holdings remain, unless they fail to use their full water allotment. This makes it extremely difficult to reduce water usage, unless the state was to drastically alter water rights laws. 

• Lack of City Funds

Another issue preventing progress is funding. Many cities do not have the capital to start green programs. In fact, a majority of the United States’ largest cities are heavily in debt. In 2021, New York City, the most populated city in the US, had a municipal debt of $56,900 per taxpayer.

On top of the debt issue, many cities do not receive direct federal funding for their projects. Specifically in the case of public transportation and vehicle infrastructure, all federal funding is granted to the state, which then decides how funds are allocated. This makes it more difficult to direct funding to specific projects, if cities do not fundraise themselves. 

• The City of San Diego

Despite these issues, there are still cities putting in the effort. Two good examples of this are San Diego, California and Portland, Oregon. San Diego released their Climate Action Plan in 2022 with some lofty goals. By 2035, they intend on having 100 percent renewable energy, a 50 percent share of walking, bicycling, and public transport in conveyance, and providing 35 percent urban canopy cover to name a few.

As of now, San Diego’s plan is mostly foundational, there are no concrete plans to enact these goals. They are mostly monitoring current trends and considering funding options. Only time will tell if they are capable of achieving these goals, but they definitely have a lot of work ahead of them.

• The City of Portland

On the other hand, Portland has made substantial progress in being a green city, despite having less intense goals. For one, they have the goal of reaching 100 percent renewable energy generated or purchased by 2030. They acknowledge they do not have the capacity to reach 100 percent generated on their own quickly enough and in the meantime hope to make up for the difference by purchasing energy credits. 

Portland has also been in the green city game longer than most. In 1974, Portland became the first city to deconstruct a major highway, Harbor Drive, to beautify the waterfront to the Willamette River. In addition, they have maintained one of the greatest bicycling rates in the US by adhering to a bicycling initiative started in the 1970s, providing greater infrastructure and protection to cyclists.

Developing green cities is difficult, but it’s not impossible. If nothing else, San Diego and Portland are examples of tangible efforts and enough people wanting to change for the better. In order to spread Green Cities and improve our way of life, we must encourage leaders to allow green cities to flourish by electing proponents of change at every level of government.

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President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law on Tuesday, August 16^th, which contains $369 billion in funding to build clean-energy infrastructure, accelerate the transition to electric vehicles, improve energy efficiency, and ensure environmental justice. The passage of this law marks the largest investment ever in sustainability and climate in the history of the United States.

The new law will slash climate pollution by an estimated 40% over the next decade by incentivizing stakeholders across sectors to Invest in Our Planet. In the process, over 9 million new clean energy and environmental jobs are projected to be created by the end of the decade, in addition to revitalizing American manufacturing by supporting domestic production of clean energy & transportation technology. The Inflation Reduction Act will even pay for itself by generating an estimated $300 billion surplus, all without having any effect on most Americans’ taxes.

How Does the IRA Work to Solve Climate?

• Major investment in renewable energy infrastructure with $260 billion in clean-energy tax credits, reducing emissions from electricity by 80%
• ~$80 billion in incentives to modernize transportation through electric vehicle rebates
• Formation of a $27 billion Green Bank to rapidly deploy clean energy tech
• $1.5 billion in incentives for methane reductions
• Supports the EPA cleaning up air pollution around schools and ports
• Reduces emissions from trucks and heavy-duty vehicles
• Provide health care to coal miners suffering from black lung
• $4 billion in funding to combat droughts
• Additional funding for homeowners to increase energy and water conservation

How Does the IRA Help American Families?

• Tax incentives that can help low- and moderate-income families save money on their energy bills, leading to potential up-front savings of $28,500 per household
• The average family is projected to annually spend $1,025 less on energy in 2030 than it does today
• Up to $7500 in tax credits for purchasing electric vehicles
• $7000 average savings on installing rooftop solar panels
• Up to $14,000 in rebates to switch over to electric appliances.
• More tax cuts and rebates for implementing energy efficiency measures
• This law protects public health, preventing up to 3,900 premature deaths, 100,000 asthma attacks, and 417,000 lost workdays annually by 2030
• The IRA won’t impact taxes for any private citizens

The Inflation Reduction Act brings the country well within range of meeting its Paris Agreement commitment to cut U.S. emissions in half by the end of the decade; however, the IRA alone falls short of the nation’s net zero commitments for 2030 and 2050. To reach these goals, cooperation from state and local governments is essential; many officials, such as the Governor of Colorado and Mayor of DC, have already made significant progress and recently committed to deploying further strategies to reduce emissions. Be a part of our Green Cities campaign by calling on your local leaders to join this effort to strengthen communities and invest in our planet.

Through these efforts combined, it is possible for the United States to not only meet its commitments to the Paris Agreement but also surpass them. Achieving this feat as a leading nation on the world stage will send a strong signal to the international community for other countries to meet their Paris goals as well, leading to a significant drop in the price of renewable energy and subsequently reducing carbon emissions worldwide.

This November, the midterm election will decide whether this momentum carries us on to a strong sustainable future, or dies out in legislative gridlock. While the IRA represents a significant step forward for global sustainability, it only passed through Congress by a razor-thin margin that required cutting nearly 60% of the environmental action included in the original plan for federal climate policy.

It has never been more urgent to Vote Earth.

To ensure that further climate action can be taken, we need leaders that will represent the public’s need for healthy environments and a stable climate. Electing these leaders is the greatest impact you can make as an individual to restore our Earth. Use our streamlined tools to quickly and easily register to vote, confirm/update your existing registration, learn about your voting rights, and make a plan to make it to the polls.

Invest in democracy. Invest in Our Planet.

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The term fast fashion has been coined to describe the rapid production of inexpensive clothing by mass-market retailers. The approach used to design, manufacture, and market these fashion trends revolves around making the garments as quickly and cheaply as possible. Fast fashion appeals to customers who want to get their hands on up-to-the minute trends. Despite the accessibility to evolving trends, fast fashion comes at an enormous environmental price. 

Apparel and footwear are responsible for a massive part of the climate crisis, occupying nearly 9% of the world’s global greenhouse gas footprint, conservatively more than France, Germany, and the United Kingdom combined. Currently, there are no legally binding environmental standards enacted through government regulation. Left unregulated, the industry will be responsible for more than 25% of the world’s global carbon budget by 2050.

The industry produces 100 billion garments a year for 7 billion people and almost all of it (87%) will end up in a landfill or an incinerator. The production of synthetic textiles (60% of our clothing) is responsible for 35% of all ocean microplastics that are now in our own food chain.  It contributes 20% of all industrial wastewater and pollutes freshwater systems from the use of toxic chemicals, dyes, and heavy metals that harm the environment and people.  

Accountability and systemic change are crucial in reducing the irreversible footprint this industry is making on our planet. It can be argued that responsibility for these problems lies in the hands of the brands and of the consumers. However, there is one last seat at the table of responsibility for fashion, one that up until now has made no meaningful attempt to change the industry but has all the power to do so: governments.

On January 7^th, 2022, The New Standard Institute – backed by a coalition that included EARTHDAY.ORG – announced The Fashion Act, a groundbreaking new bill introduced by legislators in the New York State Senate and House of Representatives. The Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act addresses the social and environmental toll taken by the industry. By requiring mandatory due diligence, companies will be required to actively engage in improving standards in their supply chain. Under the bill, all apparel and footwear retailers with global revenue of at least $100 million selling its products in New York State would be required to map their supply chains, disclose environmental and social impacts, and set binding targets to reduce those impacts. Impact reductions include mandatory science-based targets, ensuring the fashion industry operates within the bounds of the Paris Climate Agreement.

Creating a sustainable and ethical future for the fashion industry is an important but complex challenge for government, industry, and the public. We must seize this moment by pushing the government to be a global leader, helping to build a more sustainable and ethical fashion industry. Kathleen Rogers, president of EARTHDAY.ORG, states: “The fashion industry has a massive impact on our planet. It has faced virtually no regulation, which has tipped off a race to the bottom where the companies with the least regard for the environment and for people have the greatest competitive edge. This needs to end. New York is the fashion capital of the United States. It needs to support its own industry by ending the race to the bottom. We call on our legislators to act on fashion and pass the Fashion Act.”

Overall, the fashion industry ultimately thrives on innovation and newness, but with the overproduction and overconsumption that characterize fast fashion, regulation needs to be established to reduce the devastating environmental impact. 

Sign our petition to show your support to enact legislation that will hold the fashion industry responsible for their actions here: Show Your Support: The Fashion Industry Must Change (earthday.org).

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Today, June 17, marks World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.

Desertification is the process by which arable land is depleted of nutrients and becomes less able to sustain the growth of plants. It’s spurred by changing weather patterns — increasingly common due to climate change — and human activity that overexploits the soil.

Desertification and land degradation have caused extensive consequences felt around the world. Drylands are areas with great water scarcity and constitute almost half of agricultural land globally, providing 60% of the world’s food.

Two billion hectares of land have already been degraded, and this figure continues to increase. This area of land equates to over four billion football fields. The poorest and most marginalized people in the world are among those at the highest risk.

As increasing land degradation leads to heightened food insecurity, water scarcity, conflict and poverty, many inhabitants of drylands will be forced to leave their homes and become climate refugees. Current estimates place the number of people that will be displaced by climate change, land degradation and related factors at 700 million people by 2050.

Many regions of the world are already experiencing the impacts of land degradation. Desertification-related dust storms in East Asia and the Sahel region of Africa are the cause of negative health effects such as asthma, bronchitis and emphysema. Chronic dust exposure can also lead to premature death.

The food insecurity resulting from this loss of land productivity spurs conflict as people compete over land for crop cultivation and grazing. In Africa, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Lesotho have experienced violent conflicts traced back to land degradation.

At the same time that land is being depleted, global demand for resources is increasing. By 2030, food production is estimated to require an additional 300 million hectares of land.

The previous executive secretary of the UN’s Convention to Combat Desertification, Luc Gnacadja, declared that desertification and land degradation is the “the greatest environmental challenge of our time” with “far-reaching consequences and impacts.”

Loss of fertile soil also accelerates climate change and loss of biodiversity — issues that have immediate tangible effects on the Global North. As desertification continues and its impact becomes more prominent worldwide, developed countries will lose the privilege to brush this issue aside.

Solutions to increasing rates of desertification and drought are varied. They include policy changes in farming practices and land use to encourage sustainable land management, restrictions on mining in susceptible areas and reforestation.

11 countries in the Sahel-Sahara region of Africa have come together to combat desertification through reforestation. The Great Green Wall initiative aims to plant 8,000 km of vegetation to mitigate not only drought and desertification, but also conflict and famine in the region.

In order to effectively implement powerful solutions to the pressing issues of desertification and drought, climate education is a vital tool. It will foster a climate-literate generation ready to tackle desertification and the existential climate crisis.

Combined with urgent policy shifts to combat desertification and drought, climate and environmental literacy will create jobs and allow citizens to engage with their governments in a meaningful way to solve climate change.

In honor of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, sign the petition calling on governments to commit to urgent action on climate and environmental literacy at the Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, UK.

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More and more people are beginning to understand the numerous negative impacts that rapid industrialization have and are having on the environment and our natural resources. They are joining the initiative to mitigate the issues urbanization and industrialization have caused. Planned correctly, rooftop gardens can provide habitats for birds and insects that were lost to the concrete of a city. And solar power is becoming a leader as a viable renewable energy source.

The American movement for sustainable architecture has been unfolding at the local and state levels through government incentives and other programs like Earth Day Network’s Green Cities. This program helps educate the public about the economic and environmental rewards of energy efficient and sustainable building, but there is a call for greater action still. As a country that is continuously listed as having one of the biggest ecological footprints, America (and really any other countries with the means to do so) should be implementing more environmentally progressive laws to lower not just carbon emissions, but rainwater runoff pollution and habitat depletion. The USA is constantly building. If it were mandatory to build with the ideals of sustainability then – even as the economy continues to grow – the environmental impact rate would slow.

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