SMART (Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles) and Goodwill have announced a new partnership with the Textile Recovery Summit, which will take place from 23–25 February 2026 in San Diego, California. For the first time, the summit will be co-located with both the Plastics Recycling Conference and the Resource Recycling Conference, creating what organisers describe as “the largest gathering of its kind – three major conferences under one roof”.
The co-location marks a significant moment for the recycling and circular economy sectors, bringing together textile, plastics and wider resource recovery stakeholders on a single shared platform. By aligning the events, the organisers aim to accelerate collaboration across material streams at a time when policy, technology and global markets are rapidly evolving.
According to the announcement, the 2026 Textile Recovery Summit will place textile circularity firmly at the centre of the agenda, focusing on the “most urgent topics in textile circularity”. These include Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), the California Responsible Textile Recovery Act (SB 707), chemical recycling and advanced processing, the global trade of second-hand textiles, and emerging developments in AI and fibre sorting technologies.
Extended Producer Responsibility will be a key theme, with discussions examining how emerging state-level EPR models are reshaping accountability, legislation and brand responsibility across the textile value chain. The summit will also explore the implications of California’s SB 707, widely regarded as a landmark policy, and how organisations can prepare for compliance as regulatory expectations increase.
Technology and innovation will feature prominently, with sessions dedicated to chemical recycling, advanced processing, fibre identification and next-generation sorting systems. The programme will also address the global trade of second-hand textiles, including regulatory shifts, changes in reuse markets and evolving international export flows. Research and practical applications in AI-driven sorting and automated systems are expected to highlight both academic and industry-led progress.
By bringing three established conferences together, the event offers delegates access to a broad cross-section of the sustainability ecosystem. Organisers anticipate more than 3,000 attendees from across policy, retail, fashion, recycling, technology and government, alongside over 250 exhibitors and an 80,000-square-foot exhibition hall showcasing recycling technologies and circular solutions.
SMART and Goodwill are encouraging brands, policymakers, recyclers, municipalities and technology providers to take part, positioning the event as a collective opportunity to “lead the change in textile recovery” and advance circular economy solutions at scale.
The Textile Recovery Summit will take place from 23–25 February 2026 in San Diego, California, with registration now open.
