From Take–Make–Waste to Circular Textiles: Rethinking the Future of Fabric

Join our four-part webinar series to explore innovative policies, business models, and local solutions driving a circular textile economy

From the fields where fibers are grown to the factories where garments are sewn—and eventually to the closets and communities they serve—textiles travel the globe on a long, journey. Along the way, immense amounts of material, energy, and human effort are lost through overproduction, unsold inventory, underuse, and limited recovery and recycling options.

Despite the energy, resources, and labor poured into textile products, most are worn briefly and exit the system far too soon. This linear model—take, make, waste—extracts value and leaves behind environmental and social consequences that ripple worldwide.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

To build a resilient, responsible textile economy, we must transform how we engage with materials—from sourcing and design to end-of-life. The path forward is circular.

Disrupting the Status Quo

The current trajectory of the textiles industry is unsustainable. It’s overdue for strategic disruption - one that reimagines how materials are sourced, how products are made, and what happens after they’re no longer worn as part of end-of-life recovery. Disrupting the linear model is not optional, it is essential for climate resilience, resource conservation, and long-term industry viability.

Fortunately, momentum is building across the textile industry. In California, the Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024 has set a new standard for producer responsibility. In Washington state, the Department of Ecology’s Recycling Market Development Center has invested in textiles outreach, research, and cross-sector collaboration to move the needle on circular textiles.

Join the Conversation: Circular Textiles Webinar Series

To further this shift, the Stewardship Action Foundation supports the State of Washington’s Department of Ecology to launch a four-part webinar series that explores global textile challenges through a local and regional lens. Developed with local textile experts, the series will spotlight scalable solutions, policy levers, and infrastructure investments to accelerate the transition to a circular economy for textiles.

We invite leaders in industry, policy, and innovation to join us:

• Webinar #1: Cut from the Same Cloth – Level Setting: May 6 10am - 12:30pm PT

• Webinar #2: Ripping the Stitch – Business Transformation: May 8 10am - 12:30pm PT

• Webinar #3: Hemmed in to Cutting Loose – Adopting New Innovations: May 13 10am - 12:30pm PT

• Webinar #4: Fastening the Textile Community – Advocacy & Coalition Building: May 15 10am - 12:30pm PT

Mya Keyzers may be reached at mya.keyzers@ecy.wa.gov. Heidi Sanborn may be reached at 916-217-1109 or heidi@nsaction.us.

Together, we can move from intention to implementation, and shape a circular textile system rooted in equity, resilience, and sustainability.