India comes in the top three list in producer of textile waste globally, generating over approximately 7.8 million tonnes or 8.5% of global textile waste in India. To illustrate, imagine over 1,000 large sports stadiums with textile waste, each one brimming with discarded clothes and fabrics.

Women sorters at the TRF (textile recovery facility) under Closing the Loop program, in Bengaluru

With mounting concerns over resource depletion, pollution, and labor inequities, Enviu’s Reweave program is dedicated to reshaping the sector by developing scalable solutions in India, that create economic value while uplifting workers and protecting the planet.

Enviu hosted knowledge-sharing webinar on December 10, 2024, focused on tackling India’s textile waste problem. The session drew a diverse audience, including textile industry leaders, sustainability advocates, funders, recyclers, brands, and students. The team highlighted key gaps in India’s textile waste value chain, uncovering actionable opportunities to build sustainable solutions that align profitability with environmental responsibility.

With 20 years of expertise, Enviu demonstrated how its human-centered design approach identifies opportunities and transforms challenges into scalable business ventures. The webinar explored this methodology, showcasing innovative initiatives like reTex, The Good Felt (TGF), and Re-Minded ventures aimed at plugging critical gaps and driving systemic change in the textile waste ecosystem.

Highlights of the Webinar:

• In-Depth Analysis of India’s Textile Waste Landscape: Enviu’s expert team presented their comprehensive study on India’s textile waste challenges, highlighting key gaps and areas where innovative solutions can be developed to address these pressing issues.

• Innovative Solutions for a Circular Future: Enviu, showcased its ventures, including reTex, which recycles hotel textile waste, and The Good Felt (TGF), which transforms discarded textiles into high-quality felt products-demonstrating that sustainability can align with commercial success.

• Denim Deal joining the conversation and sharing their plan for India, to bring their vision of sustainable denim to India and collaborate with local partners to drive positive change in the Denim industry.

• National Institute of Urban Affairs, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs – talked about circularity in cities and the role of entrepreneurship to solve textile waste polluting cities.

Why This Matters:

• Enviu isn’t just identifying the problem of textile waste; we’re designing systemic solutions with a roadmap for action, backed by 20 years of expertise. Together with prominent partners, collaborators, and funders, we shared our knowledge for building a future-ready ecosystem.

“We believe that meaningful system change begins by tackling deep-rooted inefficiencies and gaps in the value chain,” said Jiska Coppoolse, Program Manager at Enviu. “We are addressing these problems through ventures like reTex and TGF, turning textile waste from different streams into opportunity for the industry, working closely with waste workers, delivering real impact for people and planet,” added Jiska.

• Denim Deal announced to kickstart their Asia Hub activities and expansion plans in India.

“We are thrilled to introduce the Denim Deal in India, harnessing our successful circular model to promote sustainability within the denim industry. Given Indias expanding market and robust production capabilities, it stands out as the ideal partner to help us forge a brighter, more circular future for denim. We invite all individuals and businesses who share our vision to join our movement and contribute to a successful launch in India,” stated Nicolas Prophte, Board member of the Denim Deal.

• Asif Raza, Program Manager of the CITIIS program at the National Institute of Urban Affairs, presented the plans for CITIIS 2.0 program, which fosters urban collaboration to enhance waste segregation and recycling systems

Material Recovery Facilities established under CITIIS 2.0 can transform textile processing by ensuring a consistent supply of sorted, recyclable textiles, lowering raw material costs, fostering circularity, and significantly reducing environmental impact, quoted Asif Raza, Program Manager of the CITIIS program.

Call to Action for Changemakers:

Reweave invites industry stakeholders to join hands in driving innovative, sustainable interventions to tackle textile waste and unlock Indias immense potential for a circular future.

By collaborating with us, stakeholders can catalyze transformative change across the value chain, creating significant economic, environmental, and social impact.

Missed the conversation on #IssuesToAction Do not worry-we have got you covered. Access the webinar recording here and our Landscape Mapping Report, packed with insights and solutions for a sustainable tomorrow.

The time to act is now, let us build a better future of textiles together!

About Reweave

Reweave is a program by Enviu dedicated to driving the textile sector toward a circular and fair value chain. By building disruptive ventures, the initiative addresses social and environmental challenges, leveraging deep local insights in India, Bangladesh, and East Africa to create an economy that serves people and the planet. The program is supported by Ikea Foundation, Saamuhika Shakti a collective impact initiative by H&M Foundation, and Alwaleed Foundation.

About Denim Deal

The Denim Deal is a public-private initiative in the Netherlands that aims to make the denim industry more sustainable. With an aim to bring together various stakeholders, including brands, manufacturers, and recyclers, to work towards a circular denim economy. The goal is to increase the use of recycled cotton in denim products, reduce waste, and promote more sustainable production practices.

For more information about Reweave or to explore partnership opportunities, visit reweave.enviu.org.

Enviu Newsroom

For further information please contact alisha@enviu.org