Editor’s note: Before the Textile Recovery Summit, Resource Recycling, Inc., is hosting a webinar on used textiles in the global circular economy. Sign up for our free webinar, taking place at 11 a.m. ET Sept. 29.
A steering committee has been formed to begin shaping the 2027 Textile Recovery Summit, set for March 1-3, 2027 at the Gaylord National in National Harbor, Maryland.
Committee members will work with summit coordinator Marisa Adler to shape the agenda for the event. Priority topics under consideration include state-level extended producer responsibility implementation, chemical recycling and advanced processing, and the global trade dynamics surrounding second-hand textiles.
The steering committee was selected by Resource Recycling, which produces the conference, to ensure that emerging issues, ongoing policy questions, market shifts and infrastructure needs receive focused attention from representatives across the textiles value chain.
The event looks to build upon the success of the 2026 summit, which focused largely on modernizing the industry and maximizing the amount of material that could be rescued from landfills.
Committee members include:
- Scot Case, founder of Circular Business Consulting. He’s been in the industry since the 1990s and spent time with the National Retail Federation and as an adviser for companies including Walmart, McDonald’s and Disney.
- Beth Forsberg, senior vice president and chief sustainability officer for the Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona.
- Jessica Franken, vice president of government and external affairs for the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART). She’s spent more than 25 years working in government relations, public policy and industry advocacy.
- Chelsea Murtha, advocate and spokesperson for the American Apparel & Footwear Association. She’s spent more than a decade working with trade associations, manufacturers and retailers relating to supply chains.
Last year “proved textile recovery belongs in this room; 2027 is about depth,” Adler said. “Chelsea, Beth, Jessica and Scot are going to help us build sessions that get into the harder questions, like EPR implementation, brand and retailer opportunities, and the innovation and shared infrastructure it takes to build a functioning system.”
“Textile recovery is inherently global, and effective policy must reflect how collection, sorting, reuse, recycling and international markets work in practice,” Franken said. “SMART is pleased to help shape a program that brings together policymakers, brands and industry leaders to strengthen the circular textile economy.”
The summit will be co-located with the Plastics Recycling Conference and Resource Recycling Conference. Registration is open for all events.
