Around the world, governments are waking up to a simple truth: textiles have become one of the fastest‑growing and most stubborn waste streams on the planet. Clothes are cheaper, turnover is faster, and the systems meant to catch what we discard (charities, municipal programs, informal reuse networks) are overwhelmed.

By 2026, the center of gravity for textile policy has unmistakably shifted to Europe. And that shift is beginning to reshape expectations, supply chains, and responsibilities far beyond EU borders.

Europe Sets a New Global Baseline

On January 1, 2026, the European Union (EU) launched the first comprehensive, mandatory textile waste framework in the world. It’s built on two pillars: a revised Waste Framework Directive and a new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system for textiles.

In practice, this means the EU is no longer treating textile waste as an afterthought. Every Member State must now collect textiles separately; no more tossing clothing into the general trash stream. And for the first time, producers are financially responsible for what happens to their products after consumers are done with them.

This responsibility is not symbolic. Brands selling into the EU must pay for collection, sorting, reuse, and recycling. They must report how much they place on the market and what becomes of it. Fees are tied to product quality: durable, repairable, and recyclable items cost less; so-called ‘disposable’, low‑quality goods cost more.

Any brand that wants access to EU consumers must comply, no matter where it manufactures or sells elsewhere. In effect, the EU has set the global bar for textile responsibility.

The old model (where charities absorbed the burden of unwanted clothing) is being replaced by regulated systems with traceability and performance targets. And all of this is tightly linked to the EU’s broader circular economy agenda: eco-design rules, transparency requirements, and restrictions on misleading environmental claims (aka, greenwashing).

Because the EU is such a large and influential market, these rules don’t stay in Europe. They ripple outward. Any brand that wants access to EU consumers must comply, no matter where it manufactures or sells elsewhere. In effect, the EU has set the global bar for textile responsibility.

The United States: Watching, Preparing, Lagging

Across the Atlantic, the United States is in a very different place.

As of early 2026, there is still no federal EPR program for textiles. While many states have EPR laws for packaging, electronics, paint, mattresses, and batteries, textiles remain classified as ordinary municipal solid waste. That means the burden falls on local governments, nonprofits, private recyclers, and export markets, systems that were never designed to handle the volume of today’s textile waste.

Yet pressure is building. States, NGOs, and climate advocates increasingly point to textiles as a climate issue, a landfill capacity issue, and a systems‑failure issue. Several states are studying textile EPR, and coalitions are drafting model legislation. Brands, anticipating EU spillover, are preparing for stricter rules even without U.S. mandates.

Still, the U.S. remains two to five years behind Europe. Progress is happening, but it’s happening state by state, not through a unified national strategy.

Massachusetts: A State Moving Ahead, But Not All the Way

Within the U.S., Massachusetts stands out as one of the most active states on textile waste, even though it has not yet adopted full textile EPR.

Three policies define the landscape:

1. A Statewide Disposal Ban

Massachusetts is one of the few states where it is illegal to throw textiles into landfills or incinerators. Originally aimed at commercial generators, the ban now influences households and municipalities as well. It pushes textiles toward reuse and recycling, but without producer funding, cities and nonprofits still shoulder the cost.

2. The Solid Waste Master Plan (2020–2030)

The state’s long-term waste strategy explicitly identifies textiles as a priority material. It ties waste reduction to climate goals, supports reuse and repair infrastructure, and acknowledges that voluntary donation systems cannot solve the problem alone. Many see this plan as the policy bridge toward future EPR.

3. MassDEP Textile Recovery Initiatives

Through grants, pilots, municipal partnerships, and data collection, MassDEP is building the scaffolding for a more robust textile recovery system. These programs aren’t legislation, but they function as pre‑EPR infrastructure—laying the groundwork for a smoother transition if producer responsibility becomes law.

A Global System in Motion

Taken together, these developments tell a clear story: the world is moving toward a new understanding of textile responsibility. Europe is leading with binding rules. The U.S. is inching forward through state‑level experimentation. And states like Massachusetts are building the early architecture of a future producer‑funded system.

For artists, makers, small businesses, and local reuse networks, this shift is not about becoming policy experts. It’s about recognizing that the values they’ve long championed (durability, repair, reuse, transparency) are finally becoming policy priorities.

The global textile system is being rewritten. And the people who have always cared about materials, craft, and longevity are suddenly at the center of the conversation.

—> Read the email I sent to my state legislators about the future of EPR policy in Massachusetts HERE.