Market Share

We all have seen growing conflicts over resources used for the production of goods. Without some major changes, worldwide wars over natural resources will be inevitable. This is not true for the textile recycling/reuse industry. Only 15% of unwanted or unneeded textiles are collected or donated. That leaves a whopping 85% that end up in landfills. That 85% is the amount of unclaimed resources available for industry giants like Salvation Army, St. Vincent De Paul and the 800 pound gorilla Goodwill as well as all the smaller players, both for profit and nonprofit, to grow for many years to come before there is any scarcity of resources. Yes it may necessitate some originality and imagination but the opportunity is wide open.  So we are left wondering, with all the availability of resource, why these industry giants would rather spend money sponsoring a bill like AB 1978 rather than allocating time and money toward a growth in market share.  The reasoning Goodwill uses, “The unattended collection box players have no local benefit” is weak at best. California has a 75% waste reduction goal by 2020. Working to reduce 85% of the textiles that end up in the landfills is clearly a benefit to California and its local communities. Also, despite the clear labeling, Campus California finds more than just textiles in their boxes. Canned food and books are often added in with people’s donations. These items are given to local schools and other local non-profit entities.  A more reasonable explanation for trying to regulate competitors out of the market is that these giants have become too bloated with overhead from both their growing number of facilities and store fronts as well as the cost of their CEO and upper management staff.