Regulatory changes, including moves by California legislators to mandate an “enhanced producer responsibility” (EPR) rule for textiles and other goods, plus aggressive textile-recycling efforts in Massachusetts and other states, have—or soon will—acquaint U.S. laundry operators with the idea of “circularity.” That means thinking about products, so that when they reach the end of their service lives, they don’t automatically go to landfills.

STANDARD OPTIONS

While circularity is more common term in Europe, textile-recycling efforts have a long history in the U.S. as well. For example, companies such as Unitex have pursued an array of recycling and environmental-outreach efforts in ...