With California poised to become the first state to formally regulate microplastics in consumer products, many brands and retailers are racing to evaluate their value chains in anticipation of significant operational shifts. Everlane? Not so much, the Bay Area brand said.
As California moves toward regulating microplastics, Everlane has already built the blueprint for this next chapter in sustainable fashion.
The Recycled Collection showcases current products made with certified recycled polyester or nylon—aka materials that cut dependence on virgin plastic, helping to conserve natural resources and reduce the environmental impact of raw material extraction.
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“Our approach has always been twofold,” said Katina Boutis, Everlane’s senior director of sustainability. “First, to minimize the use of synthetics to begin with and second, to partner with leading researchers and organizations to address microplastic pollution at its source.”
In planning, she continued, this meant setting a clear rule of thumb: only incorporating polymers—and specifically recycled polymers—when there’s a genuine performance or durability need and when no scalable alternative exists. In execution, that translated into less than 10 percent of total fiber volume being polymers.
“Beyond our own product decisions, we’ve also made it a priority to work with NGOs and research institutions to advance collective understanding of the risks, challenges, and opportunities around microplastic shedding in textiles,” Boutis said, noting relationships with 5 Gyres Institute, The Nature Conservancy and The Microfibre Consortium.
“Supporting this research not only informs our internal approach but also helps build the industry-wide knowledge and solutions needed to address microfiber pollution at scale,” she continued. “That practical combination of restraint, innovation, and research-driven partnership has helped keep our strategy both grounded and future-focused.”
One of the bigger lessons the San Francisco brand learned during the transition? Recycled synthetics, while better than virgin polymers, are not a silver bullet.
“They still pose microfiber pollution risks, their supply chains often carry unique challenges of quality, scalability and traceability—in some cases, alternatives, frankly, do not yet exist at scale today,” Boutis said. “What’s been most important is being intentional about where and how we use them, ensuring they deliver on performance without creating unnecessary upstream or downstream impact.”
Raw materials and manufacturing processes together account for over 90 percent of a product’s environmental footprint, a 2025 Glimpact study found; material production alone accounts for an average of 40 percent. By the end of the year, Everlane has committed to ensuring 100 percent of its materials meet certified recycled, organic, renewable or responsibly-sourced standards.
As it stands, 96 percent of Everlane’s polyester and nylon materials are certified recycled. Less than 10 percent of the Bay Area brand’s total materials use synthetics; half of which are used solely in durable, tight-woven products—like bags, outerwear and footwear, which all have a low likelihood of frequent laundering, if any at all, thus low-risk for shedding harmful microplastics. Everlane has also eliminated 90 percent of virgin plastic from its entire supply chain, with all of its packaging completely free of virgin plastic.
“We also learned the value of investing in innovation early through our Next Collective fellowship, we’ve supported early-stage entrepreneurs rethinking plastics altogether; several have gone on to raise meaningful capital and scale real alternatives,” Boutis said. “That reinforced for us that a transition away from virgin plastics must go hand-in-hand with systemic innovation—not just material substitutions.”
This journey, per Boutis, shows that progress is possible—that meaningful progress on plastics requires both discipline and partnership.
“On the discipline side, we’ve proven that it’s possible to run a global fashion brand with synthetics making up less than 10 percent of our fiber mix and only where they’re truly needed using recycled inputs,” Boutis said. “On the partnership side, we’ve built strong ties with organizations like The Nature Conservancy, 5 Gyres Institute and The Microfibre Consortium, ensuring our decisions are science-based and industry-aligned.”
Other strong organizational ties include the California Product Stewardship Council’s (CPSC) Statewide Textile Recovery Advisory Committee (STRAC), which Everlane joined in 2022. The network of local governments, non-government organizations, businesses and individuals is the primary sponsor for California’s Responsible Textile Recovery Act (SB 707).
Everlane signed on to SB 707 in recognition of the industry’s need to ramp up efforts in combating textile waste and breaking the overproduction-overconsumption cycle.
“California’s SB 707 establishes the first textile Extended Producer Responsibility program in the United Sates, requiring brands to take financial responsibility for their products’ entire lifecycle,” Boutis said. “This represents a fundamental shift from voluntary sustainability commitments to mandatory accountability. These proposals signal that policymakers increasingly expect accountability across the lifecycle of materials, from packaging to apparel.”
It also means the fashion industry will need to prepare for extended producer responsibility, she continued, designing products with extended-use and end-of-life in mind and collaborating across the value chain to build circular infrastructure.
“We believe other sectors will follow—any industry heavily reliant on plastics or textiles will need to reckon with its impact and invest in both reduction and recovery strategies, making this a blueprint for industry-wide transformation,” Boutis said. “As a case study, we demonstrate that brands don’t need to wait for perfect solutions. They can minimize, innovate and advocate simultaneously, balancing near-term impact with long-term transformation.”
