How Circular Economy Catalysts Are Leading The Way In Protecting Environment

By leveraging the efforts of Circular Economy Catalysts, the textile industry can significantly reduce its environmental impact and contribute to a more sustainable future, write Dr P Alli Rani, Director and Dr TKS Lakshmi Priya, Adjunct Faculty at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International School of Textiles & Management, Coimbatore

The circular economy is a transformative system that aims to eliminate waste and keep materials in use for as long as possible. This approach focuses on designing products and processes that enable maintenance, repair, reuse, refurbishment, remanufacturing, recycling and composting, ensuring materials remain in circulation.

Environmentalists play a crucial role in promoting sustainable practices. They can be categorized based on their focus and actions:

• Recycle Ringleaders: Transform waste into valuable products with a ‘wow’ factor.
• Vegan Vanguards: Advocate for environments where all creatures can thrive.
• Carbon Footprint Counters: Aim to minimize carbon emissions and their environmental impact.
• Thrift Shoppers: Embrace minimalism, extending the life of products through repair and reuse.
• Renewable Energy Evangelists: Promote the use of renewable energy sources over fossil fuels.
• Bicycle Buffs: Prefer cycling over driving, reducing fuel consumption and emissions.
• Zero-Waste Warriors: Strive to reduce waste through the Multi-R approach (reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose).
• Nature Nurturers: Focus on planting trees and fostering green spaces.
• Circular Economy Catalysts: Facilitate the transition to circular practices, minimizing waste and optimizing resource use.

Who Are the Catalysts?
Circular Economy Catalysts are entities that drive the adoption of circular economy principles, ensuring prolonged resource availability. They can be categorized as follows:

1. Government Policies and Regulations: Governments can incentivize circular practices through policies, subsidies, grants and regulations. For instance, India’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, mandates producers to manage their plastic packaging waste responsibly.
2. Industry Initiatives: Many industries redesign products for durability and recyclability, establish take-back programmes and invest in eco-friendly manufacturing. For example, Hindustan Unilever Ltd collaborates with various partners to collect and process plastic waste across India.
3. Research Centres: Institutions and universities develop new technologies, materials and business models to support the circular economy. Funding agencies like SERB, DBT and DST encourage innovative research to minimize waste, especially plastics and e-waste.
4. Non-Profit Organizations and NGOs: These organizations raise awareness, advocate policy changes and support businesses and communities in adopting circular practices.
5. Responsible Business Organizations: Companies can integrate sustainability into their strategies, develop innovative products and collaborate across the value chain to reduce waste and maximize resource efficiency.

 Circular Economy Catalysts in Textile Industry
The textile industry faces significant challenges in producing sustainable products. Circular Economy Catalysts help the industry achieve its sustainability goals through various initiatives:

1. Green Textiles: KG Fabriks in Coimbatore collaborates with the Ministry of Textiles and South India Textile Research Association (SITRA) to produce natural plant-based machine-dyed indigo for denim fabrics, making them more sustainable.
2. Recycling Plastics: Sulochana Cotton Spinning Mills in Tirupur uses over 4,000 tonnes of used PET bottles monthly to produce polyester fibre, yarn, cloth and garments. They also recycle cotton garment cut wastes, combining them with recycled polyester fibre to create knitted garments.
3. Reducing Landfill Waste: Punarbhvaa Sustainable Products India transforms cotton waste from farms and factories into high-quality packaging products. Their chemical-free, solar-powered paper production process consumes one-tenth the energy of traditional wood paper production and uses certified vegetable inks. Their paper is GRS (Global Recycled Standards) certified, making it a pioneering product in sustainable packaging.

By leveraging the efforts of these catalysts, the textile industry can significantly reduce its environmental impact and contribute to a more sustainable future.