New York Proposal for Textile EPR
Governmental Agency: New York State Legislature
Jurisdiction: New York, USA
Ref no: Senate Bill 6654
Status: IN REVIEW
In 2023, a bill to establish extended producer responsibility (EPR) for textiles was put forward to the Assembly (A08078 - July 2023) and Senate (S06654 - May 2023). The scope of the EPR scheme would include collection, reuse, recycling, or proper disposal of textiles. The product scope includes apparel (clothing and accessories), textiles (items made in whole or part from natural, manmade or synthetic fibre/yarn/fabric) and other textile items (bags, household linens, and other furnishings e.g. draperies and upholstery).
Obligated entities would be required to:
- Either individually or cooperatively submit a plan to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for the establishment of a collection & treatment program by 31 December 2024, for approval by the Department. These plans will be made publicly available.
- Implement and cover the costs of the collection program (which must be free of charge to users) by July 1 2025.
- Cover the costs of scheme administration and enforcement by the DEC, and consumer communications.
- Submit annual reports on the functioning collection & treatment systems (e.g. methods, tonnages, costs).
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The bill is still in draft, therefore the exact entities impacted is not yet certain. However, the bill currently proposes obligated entities will be any person that manufacturers or renovates a ""covered product"" that is sold, offered for sale or distributed to a consumer in New York. This includes both brands/trademark owners that have a presence in the state, as well as entities that import products from outside of the country that do not have a presence in the United States. As such, they will have the responsibility to comply with the requirements of the legislation including plan development and review and reporting, as well as the implementation and financing of the collection systems. This will result in both administrative & economic impacts.
Any retailers, distributors and wholesalers that are not operating through an EPR plan/scheme will no longer be permitted to sell any collected/managed covered products in the State from 1 July 2025.
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As of January 2024, the bill is currently under consideration by the Senate.
