A panel discussion on the topic of “Circular Economy” at the Sankalp Global Summit 2023 on October 19 in Mumbai addressed the question of how a fair and inclusive transition to circular fashion is possible and how the various players in the industry can support it.
Mansi Kabra of the nonprofit labor innovation firm Good Business Lab pointed out that in most current business models, a company’s workforce is viewed as a “cost.” “In this model, employees are disadvantaged. You have to show companies that workers are not a cost, but an investment. There is a direct link to a company’s profitability, for example through training female workers and managers in social skills, which leads to an improvement in return on investment,” she explained.
Empowering female workers
Nalini Shekar of Bangalore-based waste collection center Hasiru Dala agreed and stressed that empowering women was crucial. “We advocate investing in women waste pickers because they are nano-entrepreneurs,” she explained, “because they also have an impact on the right ecosystem created by the right policies.” “In the beginning it was difficult to turn women into entrepreneurs, but now 50 percent of the 84 people we have are women. Their commitment is much greater and they not only create more jobs, but also an ecosystem with certain rules, such as no alcohol and no violence in their community.”
In this context, Kazi Faisal Bin Seraj from the international development organization The Asia Foundation mentioned the “Oporajita” initiative, which means “the undefeated” in Bangla. Together with the H&M Foundation, it aims not only to train garment workers, but also to create jobs for unemployed RMG workers in a circular economy.
Textiles do not belong in the trash
Shekar revealed that most of the waste collected at Hasiru Dala was textile waste, which the organization had focused on reusing. There are currently 39 so-called “dry waste” collection points that collect 30 to 200 kilograms of textile waste every week. [In Indien wird Abfall in zwei Hauptkategorien unterteilt: „nass“, das heißt alles, was biologisch abbaubar ist, und „trocken“ für alles andere, Anm. d. Red.] Previously, this textile waste was disposed of in landfills, but under a new concept developed in collaboration with Intellecap’s Circular Apparel Innovation Factory (CAIF) in Mumbai, the textiles are now being collected separately – 100 tonnes were collected in just a few months ago Landfill preserved.
It was surprising to hear that the largest amount of textile waste comes from economically weaker communities. This is not because these families buy so many textiles and clothing items themselves, but rather because they get them from the households in which they work as cleaners, drivers and cooks. This means their employers get rid of their old clothes and they accept them because they feel like they can’t say “no”. Ultimately the things end up in the trash.
Limit consumption and production
Krishna A., a third-generation waste collector (after his mother and grandmother), made the transition to becoming an entrepreneur and has been successfully running a dry waste collection center in Bangalore for ten years. During this time, the collection point has saved around 12 to 13 tons of clothing from landfill. Krishna has even developed an app to analyze people’s separation habits and help them separate waste properly. “I also worked with students from the US for three months and we found that there is enough clothing in the system to last for seven generations,” he reported, adding: “But only one percent of it is currently recycled .”
When asked how climate action can be implemented in the fashion industry, Leena Dandekar of the Raintree Foundation pointed out that responsible consumer choices are part of the solution. “The participants in this panel discussion are all wearing handwoven saris because they are sustainable,” she noted. “Durability and longevity are extremely important in a world of fast fashion that may take six to eight weeks to produce and ship. And it’s only going to be worn for that long.”
For Dandekar, responsible cleaning of clothing, for example with probiotic cleaning agents, is also part of responsible consumption. “It would be best not to use Nalini’s services. Clothing should be biodegradable, fast fashion is irresponsible.”
Kabra agreed, adding: “The dream of the development sector is that it is no longer necessary,” she said. With an eye on maximum impact, she added that “any solution should involve a bottom-up rather than a top-down approach.”
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
For Dandekar, the matter is quite simple because the circular economy rests on just three pillars: reduce, reuse and recycle. “Reducing should always come first. After that, reuse should come and only then should something be recycled,” she pointed out.
The final question posed to the entire panel by moderator Somatish Banerjee from Intellecap was how to achieve a just transition for the waste picker community. “You have to give the workers a voice and ensure fair wages and safety,” was Krishna’s opinion, which was also shared by Shekar.
For Dandekar, the main issue is that the economy as a whole needs to change and about educating people about responsible lifestyles and responsible consumption.
“As a donor, it is important to find reliable partners who are connected to local people,” said Abeer Al Fouti, Global Initiatives, Alwaleed Philanthropies. Collaboration is also of central importance for Kabra: “There needs to be more collaboration between employees and management. It is important that the voice of workers is strengthened,” she said. “Until that happens, we will be solving problems that don’t even exist.”