The US Congress has received its first federal bill specifically targeting clothing waste. The Textile Waste Reduction Act, introduced by Maine Democratic Representative Chellie Pingree, was formally submitted on September 16. The bill has been in preparation since 2024, aiming to establish the first coordinated federal framework to reduce textile waste, improve data collection, and develop a national strategy with stakeholders.

According to materials provided by Pingree's office, the bill requires the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to produce data that can guide improvements in clothing disposal methods, develop a "National Textile Circular Strategy," and conduct a needs assessment identifying the actions, investments, and policy priorities needed to implement the strategy. This design is intended to lay the groundwork for more comprehensive legislation later, modeled after France and other EU countries.

In an interview, Pingree said that during fashion week people see massive amounts of clothing being produced and the industry changing rapidly, yet rarely think about where these clothes go after being made or how many toxic substances they contain. She said that while the public is highly concerned about toxins in the environment and food and rising cancer rates, especially among young people, they often don't think about clothing: how much becomes waste, how it enters the waste stream, and may eventually end up in water bodies and become plastic in the ocean.

This is not the first US attempt to rein in the fashion industry's various problems. The FABRIC Act introduced in 2022 has since made slow progress—advancing somewhat but losing momentum. The timing of this new bill is also quite delicate: on one hand, it coincides with fashion month; on the other, under the Trump administration, current EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has significantly rolled back some of the Biden-era pollution policies, including cutting requirements related to power plant carbon emissions; and the midterm elections that could change the congressional landscape are only two months away.

Pingree is not worried. She said there is a real opportunity here to present the issue in a way that appeals to both Republican and Democratic voters, noting she had previously won more Republican support on food-related amendments. She believes momentum can be built, and mentioned she has worked with Republicans and even some in the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) movement on food issues.

She also emphasized that this bill is "just the first step," because it does not include extended producer responsibility (EPR) provisions. But she considers it a "very good" first step—previously, the US didn't even have relevant legislation.

To the public that has long felt US fashion sustainability progress is slow, or even that the government is powerless, Pingree said she doesn't blame them for being discouraged, but government is still a necessary force, and sometimes citizens need to get involved. She pointed out that most lawmakers may not even understand "what fast fashion is and where the problems lie," so public calls expressing dissatisfaction are very useful; the bill gives people an opportunity to make specific demands to their representatives, especially students and young people—citing the recycling movement as an example, she believes it was children bringing home ideas learned in the classroom that created enough pressure to make recycling widely accepted.

Source: Exclusive: A New Federal Bill to Address Clothing Waste Has Been Introduced · Originally published 2026-09-17