It ain't fashion, if it ain't sustainable
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TOP STORY
Textile Recovery / Summit Report / PART I

23 March 2026

 10 minutes

Legislation Is Rewriting Rules for a System It Does Not Understand

The gap between what EPR legislation promises and what existing infrastructure can deliver is not a technical problem. It is a diagnostic one, rooted in how policymakers have chosen to define the boundaries of the system.

The United States generates 17 million tonnes of textile waste annually, and the policy frameworks designed to address it are arriving faster than the infrastructure built to support them. California's SB 707 requires textile stewardship plans to be operational by 2030, yet the recovery network it depends on remains anchored in international reuse trade that the law was not designed to protect—and may inadvertently disrupt.

  • Subir Ghosh
 Feature
Latest: Updates
Other Top Stories
Circular Design / Variloom Approach Interview
The convergence of digital systems and textile production reflects a broader shift in how materials are conceptualised, moving from fixed processes towards programmable, adaptable design frameworks.

Variloom Signals Shift from Fabric Manufacturing to Programmable Material Design in Apparel

  • Subir Ghosh

20 March 2026
California Act / Cascadia View / III Interview
Circular economy policies often rely on analytical models that translate limited datasets into estimates of environmental and economic impact.

Evidence, Assumptions and Uncertainty Shape California’s Textile EPR Debate

  • Subir Ghosh

19 March 2026
 
Morocco Fashion Tex 2026
CIRCULARITY / RECYCLING / SECONDS / WASTE
Textile recovery debates increasingly revolve around infrastructure rather than technology, highlighting how logistics, regulation and market access shape the circular economy’s real operating limits.

California’s Textile EPR Ambition Hinges on Infrastructure and Local Regulation

Textile waste in the United States remains largely invisible within municipal systems, even as millions of tonnes of clothing are discarded every year. Mattias Wallander, CEO of USAgain, argues that the challenge is not technological but structural, rooted in fragmented local regulation, constrained collection networks and the economics of scaling recovery infrastructure.

Subir Ghosh
 
FLASHPOINT: CLIMATE
Decarbonisation / AII Benchmark
AI-Generated / Reve

Lack of Clear Energy Performance Standards Slows Fashion Decarbonisation, New Industry Benchmark Framework Indicates

  • Staff Writer
 Update

13 March 2026

The Apparel Impact Institute (AII) has launched the Energy and Carbon Benchmark, a new tool designed to measure energy use and emissions across textile manufacturing processes. Developed with industry partners, it establishes process-level metrics to compare facilities, track performance over time, and guide collective decarbonisation efforts across the global fashion supply chain.

China Trends / Growth Story
Urban households generated substantially higher carbon emissions than rural households due to significantly higher clothing consumption levels.

Household Demand and Exports Drove Most of China’s Textile Emissions Growth, New Sector Analysis Finds

  • Staff Writer
 Update

3 March 2026

China’s textile and apparel industry emissions were driven largely by household consumption and exports between 2000 and 2018, according to new modelling research. The study found that integrating renewable energy adoption with expanded clothing recycling could curb long-term emissions growth across interconnected supply chains while supporting continued industrial development.

 
Saudi Fashion Tex 2026
COLUMNS
 
EXCLUSIVES
 
FOCUS: COTTON
Microscopic analysis of mulberry silk fibres indicates that their distinctive performance characteristics stem from a unique natural architecture combining triangular cross-sections and smooth protein surfaces.

Mulberry Silk’s Triangular Fibre Structure Produces Its Signature Soft Lustre and Optical Glow, Scientific Report Shows

A scientific report has examined the microscopic structure and physicochemical properties of mulberry silk, explaining why the fibre displays distinctive lustre, smoothness and skin compatibility. Using microscopy and biomedical research, the analysis describes how silk’s natural microstructure influences optical reflection, friction behaviour, moisture absorption and potential applications in textiles, beauty and biomedical materials.

Staff Writer
 
 
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SPOTLIGHT EDITIONS: SELECT 4
Cotton for Good 2024 7 Oct 2024
One Crop, One Fibre, Many Stories
 
 

Highlights: Sea Change

"Quote Unquote"

Julie Cerenzia
Julie Cerenzia
Director
Cascadia Consulting Group
The overall systems change will be shaped by many complex, inter-related systems dynamics. Municipal regulatory variability was a very salient risk factor for California textile collectors. It is also relatively straightforward to address, particularly if recognized early by municipal policymakers, and the availability of model ordinances helps make this a good area for communities to take early action.
MORE: Evidence, Assumptions and Uncertainty Shape California’s Textile EPR Debate

"Quote Unquote"

Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh
Chief Marketing Officer
Birla Cellulose
By creating a consistent, uniform blend at the fibre stage rather than the fabric stage. This engineering ensures smooth processing and retains the softness, strength, and premium hand-feel of traditional MMCFs, even with up to 50% recycled content.
MORE: A New 'Circular' Fibre Launch Redraws How Fashion Handles Its Material Waste
 
FOCUS: LEATHER
The fair's expansion into newly constructed exhibition halls at Chennai Trade Centre failed to address fundamental organisational issues, with similar product categories scattered across disparate locations forcing extended navigation.

IILF 2026 Exposes Gap Between Boardroom Sustainability and Tannery Floor Reality

Chennai's IILF 2026 exposed contradictions shaping India's leather industry: innovative chemical systems alongside organisational failures, Trump tariffs suppressing demand yet prices holding firm, and sustainability frameworks that never reach tannery workers. The 'Leather Carnival' demonstrated both the sector's professionalisation and its struggle to reconcile traditional identity with market realities.

Vasan Suri
Lineapelle 2025 demonstrated that the industry is ready to communicate in a different way. The collaboration between UNIC, Lineapelle, La Conceria, Is It Leather?, and voices like Volkan’s marks the beginning of a more open, consumer-connected era. But collaboration must extend to influencers, educators, and storytellers, people who can speak the language of the next generation of consumers.

The Power of Storytelling, Community and Leather’s Next Chapter

  • Blake Garavaglia
 Commentary

14 October 2025
 
 
ATTENTION: DENIM
 
COMPANY NEWS / PRESS RELEASES
 
Young India Fashion Survey 2025