ReFiber Launches Mumbai’s First Large-Scale Textile Waste Collection Initiative
ReFiber, powered by OterRi, has launched what it calls Mumbai’s first large-scale post-consumer textile waste collection and circular recovery initiative, aiming to divert discarded garments from landfills and bring them back into the value chain.
Launched on World Environment Day at the World Trade Centre in Mumbai, the initiative brings together industry and institutional partners including Tisser, the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), World Trade Centre Mumbai, and Lions Clubs International.
At the heart of the programme is the ReFiber mobile app, which allows consumers to schedule doorstep collection of unwanted garments through participating laundry partners. The collected textiles will be channelled into an upcycling ecosystem, where they can be transformed into new products instead of being discarded.
“The future of textiles is not linear. The future of textiles is circular,” said Manoj Wanwari, Chief Operating Officer of OterRi, describing the initiative as a step towards a more sustainable and responsible textile ecosystem.
The company has already established 50 textile collection points across Mumbai and unveiled an in-app marketplace for products made from recovered textiles, creating a closed-loop system for textile reuse.
The initiative comes amid growing concerns over textile waste and increasing industry focus on circularity, recycling and resource efficiency as the fashion sector seeks to reduce its environmental footprint.
