A new report prepared in collaboration between Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited, German development agency GIZ India, and environmental consultancy Centre for Environment Education offers a baseline assessment of textile circularity processes across the Indian industry.
The report titled ‘Approaches for the circular textile and apparel industry in India’, provides valuable insights into resource consumption, waste generation, and potential areas for improvement. The report outlined a series of recommendations for India’s textile and apparel industry as it looks to drive progress toward a more sustainable and circular future.
The main findings of the report reveal that considerable opportunities exist to reduce waste, but challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, limited government support, and lower consumer demand for sustainable products exist.
The report also highlights that many parts of the textile industry already carry out certain parts of circular practices, but there are significant gaps in implementing complete circularity approaches within the supply chain.
The steps required to address the gaps, point out several key areas that the industry should focus its efforts on to improve circularity. On waste management, for instance, the report suggests that the textile industry can reduce waste by improving its product design, using more sustainable materials, and recycling more waste. Infrastructure is also key with the report including recommendations for greater investment in areas such as recycling facilities and collection centres.
The report urges the Indian government to support a drive towards greater circularity by providing incentives for sustainable practices and providing greater regulation. There should also be increased investment in research and development to develop new technologies and manufacturing processes.
The report also stressed engaging consumers on sustainable consumption. They must be motivated to recycle their clothes and buy sustainable products. The authors of the report acknowledge that the Indian textile and apparel industry is making significant strides toward circularity. It emphasized that by leveraging traditional practices of reusing and recycling textiles and adopting circularity principles, the industry can contribute to waste reduction, and resource conservation.
Challenges for circulatory production still exist in Indian textiles
