2026 Zero Waste Textile Expo Recap
Have you ever wondered what happens to all of the unwanted clothing that Americans discard? Ever wanted to do your part to help reduce the ever-growing textile waste stream, but weren’t sure where to start?
Answering these questions through education, practical solutions, and hands-on experiences inspired Solana Center’s annual Zero Waste Textile Expo, held on March 22, 2026, at the Encinitas Community & Senior Center. This free family-friendly event educated the community about the impact of fast fashion, clothing consumption, earth-friendly practices, and the urgent need to move towards more sustainable fashion models.
Activities included a presentation by two San Diego County slow fashion innovators on their respective experiences in sustainable fashion and textile design. Seventeen local organizations, businesses, and professional makers in the textile and clothing design industry provided demonstrations, hosted activities, offered upcycled goods for purchase, and inspired visitors with solutions for a more sustainable future. Our community partner, San Diego Fix-it-Clinic, offered a free of charge mending and repair station. Many community members brought gently used clothing and accessories to swap, and there were craft activities that used discarded fabrics, as well as a pledge station where attendees made a personal commitment to help solve the textile waste problem through individual actions.
Clothing Swap
Sustainable Vendors
San Diego Fix It Clinic
So what exactly is the textile problem?
Textiles are defined as woven or knitted cloth items made of fibers, filaments, or yarn. Textiles are a big part of our lives, from fabric yardage to pillows, clothing, rock climbing harnesses, and luggage; we often take them for granted. Textile production and its usage are at the core of the fast fashion industry. The combination of big business maximizing profits, accelerated growth enabled by online shopping, and a cultural shift in consumer values has created an environmental and humanitarian crisis.
Global fiber production nearly doubled between 2000 and 2022, rising from 58 million to 116 million tons.
The average consumer buys 60% more clothes but keeps them half as long. Some garments are discarded after only seven to ten wears.
Approximately 2.5 to 5 billion surplus garments are produced annually, with some estimates suggesting up to 40% of clothes are never sold.
The textile industry is resource-intensive and uses a large amount of water, energy, and raw materials.
Like food, landfilled textiles release methane into the environment
Textile waste is frequently exported to other countries, such as Chile and Bangladesh
Used and new surplus clothing that cannot be resold often ends up in waterways and natural habitats, causing health hazards to the surrounding wildlife and residents.
Solution: Community Education
How can we as individuals make a difference? What are the solutions that already exist that can be amplified?
Solution: Shopping locally with vendors who sell sustainable textile goods and engaging in experiential education.
The 2026 Zero Waste Textile Expo hosted the following vendors:
Algenesis Corporation - Showcasing BLUEVIEW plant-based and biodegradable footwear, with information on where attendees can purchase products.
Be Creative Zone - Guiding the crafting zone with hands-on demonstrations of the process of making rugs from old socks.
Best Coast Bags - Selling bags, napkins, potholders, and other textile housewares from old jeans, upcycled shirts, fabric scraps, etc.
CA Originals by Kathryn - Selling locally handmade clothing & accessories made from vintage, recycled, repurposed textiles.
City of Encinitas - Providing general sustainability information from the City of Encinitas Sustainability Division
Communal Gifts - Selling reusable gift wrap made from deadstock and salvaged fabrics
Gather Sewing Collective - A member-based sewing collective. Their studio is thoughtfully placed in Mission Hills, San Diego, designed to be an inclusive space for collaboration and creativity.
Goodwill Industries of San Diego County - Offering a DIY craft: make a reusable bag out of donated t-shirts, along with education on Goodwill’s process for handling textiles and the importance of repurposing your textiles, and their ongoing textile studies at their San Ysidro facility.
Material Happiness - Offering educational materials about mending and upcycling, as well as free take-home upcycling activities.
Muxu Creations - Selling products that are made using only preexisting textiles: Patches made from reclaimed cotton with watercolor designs printed using water-based ink, zipper pouches crafted from swatches, art reproductions on reclaimed cotton, reworked denim jackets, start-to-finish jackets made from quilts, blankets, and other preexisting textiles.
OutspireX - Offering ultralight and upcycled adventure gear created from retired paragliders.
Positive Phee - Stop by the Positive Phee booth! Pick up a Sip & Style 2026 gift card and get a preloved clothing item of your choice as a thank-you for supporting circular fashion.
San Diego Craft Collective - offers activities, workshops, artist space, scholarships, and fellowships centered around craft and creativity for individuals of all ages and backgrounds in a family-friendly, eco-conscious environment.
SoCal Fibershed - Education about community building and connections between textile artists, designers, fiber farmers, processing mills, suppliers, and retail businesses, encouraging fibers that are natural and compostable.
URSIJAE - Selling a variety of repurposed denim apparel. URSIJAE was founded by Jay Pisarek, a designer committed to sustainability and the belief that upcycling needs to be a key piece of the fashion industry.
Visions Museum of Textile Art (VMOTA) - Visions Museum of Textile Art celebrates and advances contemporary quilting and textile art through exhibitions that explore cultural traditions, contemporary
Solution: Buying natural fibers and clothing that is made ethically and locally are choices we can make as consumers that contribute to the solution.
Solution: Extending the life of our garments and home goods through mending, repair, upcycling, and repurposing.
Event Impact
100% of the textiles collected from the community were diverted from the landfill, marking a truly successful zero-waste textile event!
Stakeholder Engagement and Changing Laws
Patrick Gibbs, Executive Director of Landbell USA, attended the 2026 Zero Waste Textile Expo. We are excited about all the changes SB 707 will bring in the coming years, and that CalRecycle selected Landbell USA as the Official Producer Responsibility Organization for California's Landmark Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024.
Local vendor Outspire X was recognized for Circular Innovation by California State Senator Catherine S. Blakespear.
SB 707 The Textile Producer Responsibility Act will bring the following requirements to the State of California:
Ensure collected textiles are reused, repaired, or recycled.
Provide incentives and grants to support the reuse, repair, and recycling infrastructure.
Minimize environmental and public health impacts in the entire supply chain.
What’s next?
Get involved! Host a textile-focused lunch and learn at your office. Participate in a clothing swap and educational workshop. Buy less, repair more. Invest in clothing that is made to last. Shop local. Shop at your local thrift store. Upcycle, learn to mend or sew. Choose natural fibers.
