In 2021, global sustainability initiative Fashion for Good launched the Sorting for Circularity India project to organize India’s textile waste market in a three-tiered approach and transition to a more circular economy. Fashion for Good used the findings of last year’s Wealth in Waste report to produce a toolkit to valorize textile waste in India.
“The Sorting for Circularity India toolkit is a milestone in our journey towards a zero-waste world. We have mapped the textile waste landscape and highlighted the enormous potential, as well as the obstacles and commercial opportunities, of the Indian textile waste industry. We look forward to moving beyond rhetoric with this strong coalition of partners and turning our findings into guidance for concrete action,” comments Katrin Ley, Managing Director of Fashion for Good, in a statement.
Using textile waste as a resource
According to “Wealth in Waste”, 1,720 tons of textile waste made from 100 percent cotton are not recycled every year in India because there are no suitable collection and sorting systems. The toolkit developed and the experience gained in a pilot project are intended to help ensure that more textile waste is recycled Use of suitable collection and sorting systems.
To mark the completion of the fam project, a conference focused on developing a circular economy guide was held in New Delhi on December 1 and 2, in collaboration with the Laudes Foundation, IDH, Canopy and Reverse Resources. The event also marked the launch of ‘Re-Start’, a textile recovery alliance aimed at positioning India as a leading hub for next-gen solutions.
“This incredibly strategic collaboration between three of our partners will be a game-changer, bringing together three critical ingredients needed for the global adoption of next-generation fashion materials: textile waste as a raw material, the market in the form of brand commitments and significant investment. All of this is in abundance in India, so the region has great potential,” summarizes Anita Chester, Managing Director of Laudes India.
The project brought together various industry players, including Fashion for Good partner companies Adidas, Levi Strauss & Co, PVH Corp, Target, Arvind Limited, Birla Cellulose and Welspun India, as well as Fashion for Good innovators Reverse Resources, Picvisa and Matoha; H&M, Primark and Tesco joined as external partners.