Textile recovery in the United States rests on a system rarely acknowledged in full: one sustained by global reuse markets, reshaped by emerging EPR laws, and constrained by the material realities of the garments themselves. This three-part series examines where circularity is working, where it is under strain, and what is limiting its scale.

California has become the first US state to hold fashion producers legally responsible for discarded clothing—a shift with consequences that reach well beyond its borders. This three-part series examines the legislation, the infrastructure challenge it exposes, and the rulemaking decisions that will determine whether the law delivers. It draws on original reporting and conversations with those closest to implementation.

A new Denim Deal initiative is pushing circular denim beyond pilots. Built between Europe and India, it connects recyclers, spinners, mills and auditors through shared, verifiable data. The ambition is plain: turn waste into stock, and evidence into orders at volume. This three-part series follows the production cycle end to end, examining who fixes the weak links, how costs behave, and whether the system can scale without losing credibility or design appeal.