Global sustainability initiative Fashion for Good has launched a new toolkit based on its two-year Sorting for Circularity India project to help tackle textile waste and drive a more circular economy as well as a new textile recovery alliance that aims to position India as a leading next-gen textile solutions hub.
The Laudes Foundation, IDH, Canopy, and Reverse Resources recently organized the Reimagining Textile Waste conference in New Delhi, India. The conference main goals were to create the nation circularity roadmap by introducing a next-generation solutions hub, disseminating research from the two-year Sorting for Circularity India project, and releasing a toolkit intended to revalidate textile waste in India.
Fashion for Good, Laudes Foundation, IDH, and Canopy formed the Re-START Alliance (Recover by Sourcing, Tracing, and Advancing Recycling Technologies) to promote textile recovery, which was also introduced at the conference.
The alliance, which is scheduled to formally debut in Q1 2024, intends to establish a formal textile waste supply chain, systems, infrastructure, increased policy intervention, and industry appetite to enable technology commercialization.
She said: Canopy is thrilled to be part of this new collaboration to help India realise that potential. With India abundance of textile waste, innovative industry leaders, and the collective buying power of our global network of brands, together we can transform unsustainable supply chains, reduce emissions, and create economic opportunities across India.
The path of the Sorting for Circularity India Project
According to Fashion for Good, the initiative provided priceless insights and revealed a toolset aimed at helping India "harness the untapped potential" of its textile waste.
Fashion for Good believes that its resources will provide valuable insights, assessments, and practical guidance to advance recycling in India textile industry.
Fashion for Good managing director Katrin Ley said: “The Sorting for Circularity India toolkit is a milestone in our journey towards a waste-free world. We have mapped the textile waste landscape, unpacking the huge potential, as well as the roadblocks and commercial opportunities in India textile waste industry. We are excited to move beyond rhetoric with this powerful coalition of partners and translate our findings into a roadmap for concrete actions.”
How to use the Sorting for Circularity India toolkit
A plan of action for anyone wishing to understand or take advantage of the potential in textile waste, the Fashion for Good Sorting for Circularity India toolbox is described.
- The toolkit provides comprehensive information on how to establish textile waste infrastructure in India, as well as an in-depth analysis of the obstacles, constraints, and opportunities that have arisen from the Sorting for Circularity project. This information is useful for anyone interested in waste management and can be leveraged to fully realize the potential of India textile waste.
- For policy and development organisations, this toolkit is a 360-degree view on the current gaps that are currently hampering the development of a circular textile waste landscape in India. While the opportunities are vast, the toolkit helps establish areas in need of support and aims to serve as a driving force towards creating and encouraging frameworks to establish India as a leader in textile waste management and valorisation.
India post-consumer textile waste landscape
According to Fashion for Good Wealth in Waste report, every year, 1,720 KTons of 100% cotton post-consumer domestic (PCD) textile waste remains unvalorised in India due to the lack of proper collection and sorting systems.
The project said that post-consumer trash (PCD) is expected to increase in value due to the impending wave of regulations on textile waste management. Therefore, it is imperative that India concentrate on PCD waste and build the infrastructure required for collection, sorting, and pre-processing.
Fashion for Good shared the pilot worked with 33 tons of textile waste, exploring innovative sorting technologies, the nuances of post-consumer waste, and the potential for a closed-loop system in India textile industry.
The business case assessment, on the other hand, looked at prospective financial success scenarios, discovered obstacles, and explored infrastructure and investment requirements.
This served as a framework to enable well-informed decision-making for sorting hubs to implement these technologies, added Fashion for Good.
Laudes India managing director Anita Chester remarked: “This incredibly strategic collaboration between three of our partners will be a game-changer in that it brings together three critical ingredients needed to scale the adoption of next-generation fashion materials globally – textile waste as the feedstock, the market in terms of brand commitments, and sizable investments. All of which India is abundant in, making the region ripe with potential.”
