Arvind, the textiles and clothing manufacturer from India, and the fashion brand Gap have opened a Global Water Innovation Centre for Action (GWICA) at the former Santej unit in western India to boost sustainability.
The two partners hope GWICA will become an innovation hub for apparel companies, manufacturing suppliers and vendors, sustainability experts, academics, and other environmental stakeholders.
The center develops new resources and collaborates with external water and apparel experts to curate materials. It will also offer training programs catering to operator-level staff in textile factories.
The center has an R&D facility, which will focus on six innovative water solutions and create platforms for start-ups to showcase water-saving advancements.
An official of Arvind stated that the collaboration reflects the company’s dedication to holistic sustainability, fostering innovation, and driving positive change at every level of its operations.
Richard Dickson, the Gap CEO and the founder of GAP, fully understood the transformative power of a purpose-driven brand. He said after 55 years, GAP is a global company with the scale to make a real difference. He said the company is combining its expertise and resources with Arvind to build a more water-resilient future for the apparel industry and our communities.
The water stewardship initiative started with the unveiling of a sewage water treatment plant at Arvind’s Naroda denim processing unit in Ahmedabad in 2019, which has helped eliminate reliance on fresh water in processing by using Membrane Bio Reactor (MBR) technology.
