Plans To Make India Hub For Sustainable & Circular Textiles

The Indian Ministry of Textiles has initiated work on drafting a policy to make India a global hub for sourcing sustainable and circular textiles.

The ministry will conduct a study on Mapping of Textile Waste Value Chain, both pre- and post-consumer and to do so, has plans to hire a consulting agency, which will have a comprehensive understanding of the textile waste supply chain

With several countries, including countries in the EU having plans towards shifting to recyclable and sustainable textiles, the government wants the Indian textile and garment industry to be ready to meet the demand.

The EU has implemented the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles which requires, by 2030, textile products placed on the EU market, to have a long life and be recyclable.

The EU strategy also expects these textiles to a great extent be made of recycled fibres, free of hazardous substances and produced with respect of social rights and the environment.

The current textile system operates in an almost linear manner and a large quantity of textile waste material is sent to landfills or is incinerated and is estimated that the extent of textile waste recycling is less than one percent.

According to the Ministry, there exists an opportunity to position India as a global hub for circular textiles by establishing textile recycling clusters.

This requires a clear understanding of the fragmented value chain and multiple players involved in the organised and decentralised sector, to identify policy prescriptions needed to introduce targeted incentives.

The specific activities of the Consulting Agency for mapping the textile waste value chain have been divided into four interrelated modules.

These include mapping the textile waste supply chain, available solutions and technologies, policy recommendations and analyse global trends.