Landbell USA selected by CalRecycle as PRO for state EPR

On March 2, Landbell USA announced that the organization was selected by the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, or CalRecycle, to serve as the Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) for the state’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) under the Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024 (SB 707).

The act establishes a formal framework for the collection, repair, reuse and recycling of apparel and textile products.

In its role as the PRO, Landbell USA will be responsible for overseeing the end-to-end management and proper stewardship of covered products sold within California. This includes the development of a comprehensive PRO designed to reduce textile waste and increase the longevity of garments through the procurement of innovative consumer education programs, repair, reuse and recycling infrastructure.

“We are honored to take on this historic responsibility,” says Patrick Gibbs, textile lead at Landbell USA. “California is setting a global precedent for textile sustainability. Our goal is to provide a seamless, transparent, and highly effective program that requires producers to fund a product stewardship program for the covered materials they put into the California marketplace, while providing Californians with accessible options for textile recovery.”

Under the statutory requirements of the Public Resources Code, Landbell USA executed several critical mandates, including:

• Statewide needs assessment: Conducting an initial evaluation of California’s SB 707 covered materials recovery infrastructure to identify gaps and available resources.
• Producer outreach: Covered producers must sign up with the selected PRO by July 1, 2026. Maintaining an updated registry of covered producers ensures compliance across all participating entities. Producer registration is now live, and producers can register through Landbell USA’s partner, Circul8, here.

“This selection marks a turning point for the industry,” says John Hayes, president at Landbell USA. “By leveraging Landbell’s global expertise in Extended Producer Responsibility, we are prepared to turn the challenges of textile waste into a robust system of resource recovery.”