How Rep. Pingree wants to fight climate change with every damn pair of jeans • Maine Morning Star

Although the responses varied, Pingree said she was surprised by how many colleagues told her they wanted to learn more about how they could become more involved on the issue.

As ranking chair of the House Appropriations Committee on the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, Pingree is involved in funding a variety of environment-related efforts. That role, along with her longstanding interest in recycling, got her thinking about how much clothing makes up the waste stream.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, textile waste in the United States amounted to 17 million tons in 2018, or nearly six percent of all municipal waste. And with the explosion of so-called “fast fashion” with brands like Shein, that amount has likely increased.

While Pingree's goal is to introduce legislation in this area, she said awareness is a central part of her efforts. Much of her work is simply getting people to think about how much clothing impacts the environment. For example, Pingree shared an idea to improve clothing labeling; similar to food labels that identify something as organic or grass-fed.

“Everyone was on board when we decided to eliminate plastic straws, but that doesn't even come close to the amount of clothing we buy,” she said.

Pingree, who founded the small business North Island Yarn years ago, said she is also interested in promoting more sustainable materials like wool or using hemp as a fabric. But fashion doesn't live in a political silo. Pingree talked about how trade policy can be a factor in the textiles imported from other countries and how perhaps more responsibility could be placed on manufacturers to dispose of their products responsibly.

She also said her work on the Farm Bill, which Congress revises every five years to set policies and funding levels for agriculture, food and conservation programs, was another opportunity to build in more environmentally friendly fashion policies.

Beginning of August the Caucus sent a letter to President Joe Biden, urging him to include the fashion industry in the new White House Task Force on Climate and Trade.

A damn jacket and future plans

Pingree has not yet introduced any slow fashion legislation. She is waiting for the results of a study she and U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat from Connecticut, asked The report was prepared by the US Government Accountability Office and provides an overview of opportunities to improve the way the fashion industry and the EPA handle textile waste.

The study aims to provide, among other things, more information on what the EPA has done to increase textile recycling and the extent to which the textile industry is adopting practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The report on that study is not expected until later this year. Pingree said she hopes to introduce a bill next year, but she must win an election first.