The United States’ Opportunity for Circular Fashion

Cover page of a policy paper titled 'The United States' Opportunity for Circular Fashion,' published by ACT American Circular Textiles, April 2023, with the ACT logo, and address at 2550 M Street NW, 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C.

American Circular Textiles (ACT) is proud to present this seminal report, which was introduced to Congress and helped inform the first-ever federal provisions supporting textile reuse and recycling in U.S. history. Developed through extensive research and industry consultation, this report outlines the domestic policy opportunity to address fashion’s environmental impacts through strengthened circular fashion models.

In this paper, we describe the domestic policy opportunity to address fashion’s pollution contributions through increased support of circular fashion models. We summarize fashion’s environmental, financial, and health impacts on our communities, and explain how circular fashion presents a necessary and urgent improvement to the linear take-make-waste business model. We consider the benefits of increasing U.S. consumer demand for reuse, and further enabling businesses and individuals to participate in resale, while building markets that do not yet exist at scale, like textile recycling. Finally, we propose public policy that will support fashion circularity, and explain how it will protect U.S. supply chains, support economic competitiveness, enable job creation, and empower consumers.

This report is for educational purposes only.

Cost: Free to members & available upon request on a case-by-case basis.

To access: please email us.

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This publication and its contents are the intellectual property of American Circular Textiles and are protected by copyright and other applicable laws. Use is restricted to active members and authorized stakeholders of American Circular Textiles.

This publication may not be copied, distributed, reproduced, excerpted, or used for academic, policy, commercial, or organizational purposes without prior written permission from American Circular Textiles. Unauthorized use, reproduction, or misrepresentation is prohibited and may result in appropriate legal or institutional action.

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