Latest news with #CaliforniaRetailersAssociation
Fibre2Fashion
21-07-2025
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
California retailers, AAFA & NRF to launch US' first textile PRO
The California Retailers Association, the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), and the National Retail Federation (NRF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly establish an independent Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO). This new body will lead efforts to divert apparel and textiles from landfills by collecting, repairing, reusing, and recycling post-consumer materials. The initiative aligns with California's pioneering Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) law for textiles—the first of its kind in the US. California Retailers Association, AAFA and NRF have signed an MoU to establish a producer-led PRO under California's SB 707, the US' first EPR law for textiles. The PRO will manage end-of-life textile responsibility through collection, repair, reuse, and recycling. It aims to unite stakeholders across the value chain, meet legal requirements, and begin operations in early 2026 following state approval. Signed into law in 2024, California's SB 707 requires producers and importers of textiles to take responsibility for the end-of-life management by joining and funding PRO. It will develop and implement a plan to meet the requirements of the law, including the collection, transportation, repair, recycling and the safe and proper management of covered products, they said in a joint press statement. The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery must approve a PRO by March 1, 2026, following a January 1, 2026, PRO application deadline. The initiative aims to establish an independent, producer-led PRO to represent and ensure compliance of all producers of apparel and textile articles covered under SB 707. It will foster collaboration across the textile value chain by actively engaging manufacturers, brands, retailers, collectors, sorters, recyclers, repair businesses, and other key stakeholders to drive innovation and maximise the programme's impact. The PRO will also be responsible for developing and implementing an effective stewardship programme that fulfils all legal requirements while strengthening infrastructure for the collection, repair, reuse, and recycling of textiles. 'California's groundbreaking SB 707 positions our state as a national leader in responsible textile management. The California Retailers Association is proud to set the standard for innovation and collaboration in environmental sustainability. We are dedicated to guiding the implementation of this transformative law and to establishing a PRO that unites and empowers the wide array of producers selling textiles in California. Our commitment is to deliver real impact for our communities, our environment, and the future of retail in California,' said Rachel Michelin, president, California Retailers Association . 'This partnership signals our industry's commitment to collaborate in support of a circular transition. By bringing together diverse stakeholders from across our industry supply chain, we are launching an inclusive organisation that is right for the California market and regulatory environment, establishing California as the standard for similar approaches nationwide,' said Steve Lamar, president and CEO, AAFA . 'Our associations have a shared commitment to ensuring the success of SB 707. Collectively, our members bring significant experience in PRO-building, EPR compliance and implementation to this effort. We look forward to working together to establish an organisation that supports the entire producer community to meet the immediate needs in California and potential future needs if other states adopt similar approaches,' said Stephanie Martz, chief administrative officer and legal counsel, NRF . The associations have begun the process of forming an independent 501(c)(3) PRO to meet all requirements under SB 707 and prepare for the application process. The PRO is expected to be operational in early 2026, with the initial focus on registering producers by July 1, 2026. Additionally, it will conduct an initial statewide needs assessment to determine the necessary steps and investment needed to fulfil the law's requirements and inform the program budget and plan. The PRO will prioritise early outreach to producers and will engage with interested parties to lay the groundwork for implementation, added the statement. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
Business of Fashion
04-06-2025
- Business
- Business of Fashion
Dear Fashion CEOs, Stop Undermining Climate Action
We have reached a pivotal moment in the fashion industry's understanding of what true climate leadership means. Leadership was once defined by voluntary corporate commitments — a new sustainability pledge or climate goal. But these voluntary efforts have done little to move the needle, rarely graduating beyond pilot programmes, and often amounting to little more than greenwashed marketing. Short-term self-interest and a market that rewards quarterly growth have driven many players to underinvest or stall action. The result is collective stagnation. For the last few years, the belief among climate advocates and progressive executives has been that regulators would step into this void and drive momentum in the movement. Now that is on shakier ground. In the US, the Trump administration is dismantling environmental programmes, even as individual states forge ahead with their own regulations. In the EU, which has led the way on green legislation, concerns about competitiveness are threatening to erode policies that have already been formed. In a period of economic and political uncertainty, businesses are stepping back, greenhushing and deprioritising climate programmes. It is clear change won't come without political support. Real climate leadership from brands means recognising this, speaking out and calling for regulatory change. Instead, many trade groups — including those that represent brands with publicly progressive climate policies — are actively lobbying to undermine tougher environmental regulations, leaning into the political narrative that stiffer oversight is bad for business. Brands that are already doing the work know this is not true. Smart regulation can be a way to level a playing field that is currently stacked against companies that operate more responsibly, while also incentivising and accelerating change. But it won't happen if companies and their lobbyists don't step up to loudly and boldly declare their support for the regulatory change that will enable more meaningful action. As the industry convenes this week at the Global Fashion Agenda's annual sustainability summit in Copenhagen, it's an opportunity for leaders to move beyond the climate blah blah and chart a path forward. The issue is increasingly urgent. In the last six months alone, we've witnessed climate impacts that make inadequate action indefensible: historic wildfires in California, temperatures reaching 48°C in India and Pakistan, and a glacier collapse wiping out a Swiss village. The stakes are not theoretical. I saw the corporate doublespeak firsthand while testifying in Sacramento, California in support of the Fashion Act, a bill that aims to address the climate and chemical footprint of the industry. Alongside me was a persuasive college student; in opposition were business lobbies the California Chamber of Commerce, the California Retailers Association and the American Apparel and Footwear Association. Their argument? That requiring companies to set and meet absolute emission reduction targets would mean increased costs for consumers, even though companies like Gap, VF, and Nike have already made voluntary commitments to such targets. We brought data from McKinsey showing that industry-wide decarbonisation, once co-ordinated, is not only feasible but affordable. The Committee listened, the bill progressed, though it must still pass through several other stages of approval by January in order to make it into law. In New York, lawmakers have been working on a similar legislative proposal since 2022. This is why brands who say they favour a greener industry need to step up. The Fashion Act is gaining traction in California. But to move it across the finish line and into law, we need industry voices to be present in the room and use their platforms to publicly support it. That's why New Standard Institute, the industry think tank I run, has launched an advocacy arm — to enable us to meet anti-regulation lobbying with equal force. This is a model not just for the Fashion Act, but for future legislation that sets smart incentives — both sticks and carrots — aligned with the sustainability commitments many brands already claim. To the companies that have signed on to support the bill, thank you. In the months ahead, we invite more of you to move beyond pledges and pilot programs. We also call on current supporters to step up their engagement: be public, be vocal, and advocate clearly for the Fashion Act. Join us in supporting infrastructure that can match lobbying power with lobbying power. Show legislators that industry — the forward-looking, innovation-driven side of it — is ready to lead. Navigating the turbulence of tariffs and shifting global standards is a challenge. But leadership isn't about waiting for clarity. It's about showing up in the storm. Let's lead. Maxine Bédat is the founder and director of fashion think tank New Standard Institute. She has helped spearhead bills focused on regulating fashion's environmental impact in California and New York. The views expressed in Op-Ed pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Business of Fashion. How to submit an Op-Ed: The Business of Fashion accepts opinion articles on a wide range of topics. The suggested length is 700-1000 words, but submissions of any length within reason will be considered. All submissions must be original and exclusive to BoF. Submissions may be sent to opinion@ Please include 'Op-Ed' in the subject line and be sure to substantiate all assertions. Given the volume of submissions we receive, we regret that we are unable to respond in the event that an article is not selected for publication.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
High grocery prices? Grocery stores blame the thieves
If you continue to shell out more and more for groceries, one major grocery retailer says: blame the thieves. Stop & Shop, which runs more than 300 markets across the Northeast, has penned a letter to Congress saying retailers like them are operating on 'razor-thin' margins and are 'struggling with the vast impact of organized retail crime.' The company is urging Congress to pass the 'Combating Organized Retail Crime Act,' which has now been reintroduced. The bipartisan legislation specifically targets flash mob robberies and what it calls 'intricate retail theft schemes.' It cites data from the National Retail Federation showing larceny incidents increased by 93 percent in 2023 compared with 2019. The letter says that in recent years, 'criminal organizations have increasingly turned to retail crime to generate illicit profits, using internet-based tools to organize flash mobs, sell stolen goods and move money.' 117 arrested in retail theft crackdown across California Stop & Shop says it does not, 'under any circumstances take a neighborhood's demographics into consideration when setting prices. The specific process for setting prices is highly confidential and competitively sensitive for any major retail business.' But theft has been weighing on retailers. Albertson's, which operates Vons and Pavilions, referred an inquiry about the retail theft trend and its impact on grocery prices to the California Retailers Association. Similar requests were sent to Kroger, parent company of Ralphs, and also to Whole Foods. The California Retailers Association says online that it's committed to working with all stakeholders interested in solutions to retail theft and that this issue 'is too important to the safety of employees, customers, and communities.' It does not address the specifics of how those retail thefts may be increasing grocery prices. Here in Los Angeles, District Attorney Nathan Hochman has launched a new campaign to crack down on retail theft, speaking in front of a 7-Eleven recently ransacked by dozens of teens. The district attorney also reiterated that the tide has changed in California. Proposition 36 makes certain thefts a felony, and the district attorney says thieves will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Thefts prompt Southern California grocery store to change bag policy Consumer Confidential's David Lazarus calls it a big and growing problem, saying 'theft, particularly involving brazen mobs of shoplifters, have become all too common among merchants selling everything from clothing to electronics.' As for what can be done about it? Lazarus says, 'At this point, the retail industry is responding with new security measures, such as limiting the number of customers inside a shop or hiring more guards. For consumers, this only adds to costs — and provides another reason to shop online. Whether lawmakers in Congress can address that in a meaningful fashion remains to be seen.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
