Industry Players Continue Multi-Pronged Effort to Reduce Fashion’s Impacts

Latest initiatives include circularity advocates and resellers working to end double taxation on secondhand fashion, a sustainable detergent brand’s continued efforts to reduce the impacts of laundry, and a recycled edition of a beloved clog.

American Circular Textiles (ACT) — a coalition of fashion and textile organizations aligned on circularity and sustainable fashion public policy in the US — in partnership with several of its member companies, has launched a nationwide campaign and petition to eliminate double taxation on secondhand goods, repairs and alterations. The petition aims to raise awareness about the unfair burden placed on consumers who choose sustainable and affordable shopping options.

Currently, many states impose sales tax on secondhand items — including clothing, shoes and accessories — subjecting consumers to double taxation. ACT asserts this policy not only discourages sustainable shopping practices but also hinders the growth of the secondhand market, repair options and a circular fashion economy. Upwards of 85 percent of used clothing goes into landfills or incinerators — much of which could instead be resold.

“Consumers’ pocketbooks are stretched thin. Monthly spending on apparel and footwear has risen a whopping 72 percent since January 2020, and more shoppers are turning to secondhand first,” says ACT CEO and founder Rachel Kibbe. “Ending double taxation is not only the fair and just thing to do — it will also spur economic growth and strengthen the trend towards shopping for well-made clothing that can be reused and/or repaired, rather than tossed into the ever-growing piles of apparel waste.”

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