September 2024 Good Newsletter

If you’re not convinced the future is circular, you're not paying attention.

I’ve been following Ambercycle, which manufactures Cycora® recycled polyester from pre- and post-consumer textile waste, for years and jumped at the chance to spend the morning at their Los Angeles HQ and learn about the technology. The process starts with a scanner that can tell at a glance what clothes are made of; in its final form, Cycora is perpetually recyclable without degradation. Ambercycle is currently optimized for polyester, which makes up more than half the clothes produced today, but is expanding to other textiles, including cotton. The company has set its sights on disrupting supply chains through what it describes as “molecular regeneration,” and it is scaling fast. When you realize that there is already enough textile waste on the planet to clothe all of humanity for decades to come, this just makes sense. (And no, this content is not sponsored.)

Meanwhile, California enacts a pivotal Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) law, which will require the fashion industry to tackle textile waste – and positively impact the entire global supply chain. Meanwhile, there's a Slow Fashion Caucus calling for representation on the White House climate task force. ThredUp's new impact report shows 200 million garments were resold rather than landfilled because of the platform's impact on consumers and, with Vestiare Collective, the company recently endorsed a commonsensical approach to ending "double taxation" on secondhand goods, repairs, and alterations in the U.S. that unnecessarily hobbles the circular economy. Goodwill is stepping up on circularity for textiles -- and the plastic bags in which they're typically donated. 

GOOD NEWS FOR THE FUTURE

I’m feeling my heart in a different way, now. Watching rational conversations at last month's convention gave me hope for the fall, the future, and our children. Because they might just well decide it — Gen Z and Millennials represent over 100 million voters — and they care: 78 percent say climate will motivate them to vote. It’s important in swing states, too, where a recent poll shows voters prioritizing climate across the political spectrum. Let’s do this!

Do you like positive climate (and writing) news delivered monthly(ish) to your inbox? Sign up for Rachel’s free newsletter and get full access to the publication archives. Rachel also posts on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Bluesky, and LinkedIn. Let’s connect!