The apparel industry’s climate ambitions have taken a hit in recent months, with mounting evidence that the sector is falling short of the emissions reductions and supply chain transformation needed to meet many of its 2030 targets. Against that backdrop, it’s easy for the conversation around ESG to become dominated by missed milestones, policy uncertainty and slowing corporate commitments. Yet sustainability leaders across the industry argue that focusing solely on what hasn’t happened risks overlooking the progress that is quietly changing fashion’s future.
From the expansion of preferred fibers and regenerative agriculture to growing textile-to-textile recycling capacity, new extended producer responsibility laws and innovations in circular materials, executives say meaningful advances are taking hold across the value chain. The work remains far from finished but the foundations for a more circular, accountable and resilient apparel sector are stronger today than they were even five years ago.
Here, executives from American Circular Textiles, Earth First Consultants, Textile Exchange and Treadle Tree share what they’re most excited about today.
Beth Jensen
Chief Impact Officer
Textile Exchange
On the production and use of lower impact fibers
“It does seem like there’s a little bit of doom and gloom around this right now, but if you really look back at how far we’ve come, even just in the last five to 10 years, there’s definitely been progress. For example, Textile Exchange tracks the material volumes that are produced globally every year, and the amount of different types of materials that are used every year. We have seen the amount of cotton that’s been produced under sustainability certifications, as well as the amount of cotton that’s been used from sustainability certifications, has been increasing year over year. Also, the amount of recycled polyester that’s being both produced and used has [increased]. The challenge with polyester is that from a global production perspective, the amount of virgin fossil-based polyester that’s been produced has grown so exponentially that even the increases in the amount of recycled polyester that we’ve seen are [overshadowed]. Now that’s not all attributed to the apparel and textile industry. There are a lot of other industries that use these materials as well, but the bright spot there is that we have seen an increase in the use and production of materials from preferred production systems, which is great. “
On advances related to textile-to-textile recycling
“For recycling, there have been many technological innovations and advances moving us toward textile-to-textile recycling, specifically, which is where we want to go as an industry. Now we just need to connect the dots across the whole system — sortation, collection, processing, connecting — all of that together and making sure it can be implemented within brand supply chains. Textile Exchange recently did a data collection exercise and our estimates [showed we would reach] around three to five million tons of capacity by 2030 for textile-to-textile recycling specifically, but there are a lot of variables in that estimate. That’s based on the recyclers that we know today, and what their expansion plans are. We can only hope that they continue to build out those expansion plans.”
On the uptick of regenerative agriculture practices
“Then on the natural fiber side, there are a great number of really positive stories coming from farmers who are implementing regenerative agriculture practices. Both from a producer side and a brand side, there’s a lot of recognition that’s continuing to build about the benefits of regenerative agriculture for growing natural materials.”
Kirsten K. Harris
Chief Sustainability Strategist & Managing Partner
Earth First Consultants
On the impact of incoming regulations
“One of the definite positives is that due to the different regulations that are going into place the industry is going to be better regulated going forward. You can’t just make a sweater anymore and just say goodbye. Producers and manufacturers are having to take responsibility for that now, so instead of it being a downstream problem, it’s being addressed upstream. It’s getting rid of that attitude that we have enough money to walk away from overproduction. Instead, it’s putting efforts into designing this right the first time through material innovation, the design process, and actually into adoption, so that you’re not left with the inventory. And the people at the top of a lot of the larger corporations that maybe never got involved in the weeds are now getting involved in the weeds a bit more. Companies are bringing more people into the conversation in the beginning. These are people that are actually in the process, sitting at the table, whether it’s raw materials or development or sourcing—they’re all getting together.”
On advances in elastane biodegradability
“Also, I’ve been working with a company called Tirra. they’ve developed a completely circular, elastane, which for a long time has been the one fiber that was a thorn in your side. It’s all bio-based, and as long as people are investing in educating the consumer about what to do with the garment [at end of life] you can melt the garment down and it turns into green goo that you can recycle back into elastane.”
Rachel Van Metre Kibbe
Founder
American Circular Textiles
On multi-state EPR momentum
“There has been an increased focus on what states can do. California passed extended producer responsibility, but there’s EPR bills proposed in multiple other states. And what EPR is doing since it passed in California, is collectively getting the industry together to start to figure out how this is going to work. Even though that’s a challenging process, that is a good thing. We’re going to see more robust collection systems for people and communities. Through EPR, having collection points across states is going to create that feedstock.”
On the coordinated effort to define recycling
“We’ve been working hard on advocating for a definition for what recycling means and what’s included across sectors, not just ours, that would level the playing field and so it’s not a debate in every state where EPR happens. Those are the types of things that really can stall progress when you [operate] just at state level, and so we’re seeing a real appetite in Congress across sectors with strange bedfellows through multiple bills.”
On the silver lining of U.S. trade policy changes
“Also, sustainability is as a business model is not in fashion right now, and making sustainability profitable is. This is a more durable approach. It is potentially a big silver lining to the times we’re living in. With supply chains so disrupted and so much uncertainty around tariffs, there has been increased talk about the importance of onshoring and nearshoring and how circularity could fit into that. Also, resale has had this big moment because tariffs have driven up the cost of goods in supply chains, and customers are looking for value. Resale is an immediate answer and a domestic feedstock that we have right here.”
Shelly Gottschamer
Managing Director
Treadle Tree
On the opportunity that regulation brings
“There’s lots going on in Europe, really driven by policy, which I think is a fantastic thing. I wish that we could catch up here in the Americas. The apparel industry has been mostly self-regulated, so for the naysayers, you have to start somewhere, and it’s a step in the right direction. And I think it really provides the incentives to revamp or revitalize business in a positive way. It’s all about affordability. How do we afford the programs and the strategy, and how do we implement them, and what’s the business case for it? There’s a lot of headwinds for sales, and that makes it harder to meet the initiatives even halfway because you have to invest in them with new business processes, but in the long run those will be more efficient.”
On the continued focus on forced labor
“One bright spot out there is that the Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act is still in force. It’s one of the laws that we have not backed away from. It’s been a hard one for brands because it’s been a little murky, but it really highlights forced labor in a country where it’s really opaque and not transparent.”
