CalRecycle Selects Landbell USA to Run California’s Textile EPR Program Under SB 707
California has now confirmed Landbell USA as the producer responsibility organization (PRO) for the state’s Responsible Textile Recovery Act (SB 707), the first statewide extended producer responsibility (EPR) program for textiles in the United States.
On February 27, 2026, CalRecycle announced that Landbell USA will be the sole PRO that carries out the requirements of the Responsible Textile Recovery Act, triggering a July 1, 2026, deadline for producers of covered apparel and textile articles to join the PRO. This decision is a critical milestone for apparel, fashion, and home textile brands planning for California textile EPR compliance and long-term environmental compliance strategies.
Producers must now move from monitoring to execution, with a short runway to register with the approved PRO by July 1 under California’s textile EPR program.
RLG experts are closely tracking the rollout of SB 707 and the designation of Landbell USA, and are supporting brands in translating these developments into practical compliance roadmaps.
Overview of California’s Responsible Textile Recovery Act (SB 707)
California’s Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024 (SB 707) establishes an EPR framework that makes producers of apparel and other textile articles responsible for funding and organizing the collection, repair, reuse, and recycling of covered products sold into the state. The law was signed in September 2024 and is described by regulators as the nation’s first comprehensive EPR law for textiles. Under SB 707, producers must form and join a producer responsibility organization (PRO), which then designs and operates a stewardship system for covered textiles.
CalRecycle’s textile stewardship timeline shows that the PRO must complete an initial needs assessment by March 2027, and the department will adopt implementing regulations that take effect no earlier than July 1, 2028.
This multi-year schedule means producers must treat 2026 as the foundation year for long-term California textile environmental compliance. Producers will face penalties if they fail to participate in the approved PRO’s stewardship plan by the earlier of July 1, 2030 or the date the plan is approved.
RLG’s Director of EPR Solutions, Andriana Kontovrakis, notes: “California is on schedule to implement textile EPR, marking a first in the nation opportunity to leverage data to create more circularity within textiles and help solve challenges related to textile waste.”
Preparing for the Challenges of Textile EPR Compliance
Many producers are already identifying specific operational and strategic challenges arising from SB 707’s tight implementation timelines and overall complexity. Common pain points include:
- Limited time to evaluate Landbell USA PRO membership and contract terms before the July 1, 2026, deadline.
- Need to map which SKUs and brands qualify as “covered products” under SB 707 without over- or under-declaring scope.
- Difficulty consolidating textile and apparel sales data by state, channel, and brand for PRO reporting in California.
- Gaps in supplier-level information on fibre content, recyclability, and hazardous substances for textile articles are needed for reporting and fee modulation.
- Integrating future PRO fees and eco-modulated charges into product costing, budgeting, and long-term pricing strategies.
- Coordinating internal responsibilities across sustainability, legal, finance, and supply chain functions to manage SB 707.
- Managing distributor, licensee, and private label arrangements to clarify who is the obligated “producer” for each brand and product line.
- Keeping up with evolving CalRecycle regulations, PRO stewardship plans, and guidance updates between 2026 and 2028.
- Designing consumer-facing collection, takeback, or labelling initiatives that align with the PRO’s stewardship plan and California textile producer responsibility goals.
How RLG Supports Producers with California Textile EPR Compliance
RLG is dedicated to supporting producers through the challenges of textile EPR compliance.
Because modern textile supply chains involve brand owners, licensees, private label arrangements, distributors, and marketplaces, determining who is the obligated producer for each brand and product line can be complex.
RLG’s Textile EPR Impact Analysis can help multinational apparel and home textile companies clarify which legal entities are obligated producers in California and how those obligations intersect with existing packaging EPR and broader environmental compliance programs. Download a brochure to learn more about RLG’s Textile EPR Impact Analysis.
Additionally, RLG’s US environmental compliance services and data management services can support structured SKU mapping, material classification, and documentation needed for textile producer responsibility programs.
View-on-Demand Webinar: Circular Innovation and Textile EPR: Preparing for What’s Ahead
For producers who wish to outsource legislation monitoring, RLG’s horizon scanning services provide valuable, actionable insights as regulations develop.
As Customer Engagement and Business Development Manager, Denise Diorio McVeigh notes: “Textile EPR is new territory in the United States, but it builds on principles producers already know from packaging EPR and other stewardship systems. With the right data and governance in place, companies can manage risk, control costs, and even identify circularity opportunities in their apparel and textile portfolios.”
Next Steps for Textile Producers
Producers of apparel and textile articles now have a fixed deadline to join the PRO and a clear signal that data, governance, and contractual readiness must be prioritized in 2026. At the same time, regulations and the PRO’s final stewardship plan will evolve over the coming years, underscoring the need for ongoing horizon scanning and expert support.
Read More: Textile EPR Compliance Success
Kristen Kelley, Environmental Compliance Coordinator at RLG, observes: “The brands that start now on data quality, SKU mapping, and internal ownership will be in a much stronger position once PRO registration and reporting portals open.”
For many organizations, the most efficient next step will be to book a focused session with RLG to review product portfolios, supply chain responsibilities, and the specific pain points identified above, then translate that assessment into a concrete implementation plan.
You are invited to schedule a confidential and free fifteen-minute discovery call with an EPR expert to discuss your business’s next steps.
Editor’s note: This article has been reviewed by RLG’s EPR compliance experts in the United States: Andriana Kontovrakis, Denise Diorio McVeigh, and Kristen Kelly.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. Laws are subject to interpretation and change without notice, so always consult with professional advisors and refer to primary sources. Content is accurate as of publication date but may not be regularly updated.
