John,

America is making more clothes than ever before. And of the billions of pieces of clothing made every year, an estimated 30% will never be sold.1 Instead, clothes get sent to landfills and incinerators -- and no one even wore them.

Companies shouldn't be allowed to trash or burn perfectly good clothing. Take action: your governor can stop retailers from sending clothes to the trash heap in your state.

Why are piles of unsold or returned clothes sent to landfills or burned -- even though the clothes are in near-perfect condition?

It's as if you returned a brand-new pair of jeans and the store clerk immediately struck a match and lit the pants on fire.

What a waste. And clothing companies will keep getting away with producing more clothes than they could possibly sell just to toss them out with the trash.

PIRG is calling on governors to rein in the wasteful fast fashion industry. Tell your governor: Don't let companies trash and burn unsold, unworn clothes.

Many retailers destroy, landfill or incinerate the clothing that was never sold and has never left the store to make way for new merchandise, creating a serious waste problem.

Around the world, the equivalent of a dump truck filled with clothing is sent to a landfill or incinerator every second.2

Retailers should never burn or trash their overstock. There are better alternatives, like textile recycling. And really, they shouldn't be making so many extra clothes in the first place.

It's time to hold the fashion industry accountable for its wasteful practices.

Urge your governor to make sure the fashion industry doesn't trash new clothes in your state.

Thank you,

Faye Park
President

1. Celeste Meiffren-Swango and Louis Sokolow, "The high cost of fast fashion," PIRG, November 22, 2023.
2. "Putting the brakes on fast fashion," UN Environment Programme, November 12, 2018.

Support U.S. PIRG. Contributions by people just like you make our advocacy possible. Your contribution supports a staff of organizers, attorneys, scientists and other professionals who monitor government and corporate decisions and advocate on the public's behalf.

Join us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter

U.S. PIRG, Main Office: 1543 Wazee St., Suite 460, Denver, CO 80202, (303) 801-0582
Federal Advocacy Office: 600 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, 4th Fl., Washington, DC 20003, (202) 546-9707
Member Questions or Requests: 1-800-838-6554.

If you want us to stop sending you email then follow this link -- unsubscribe.