India’s Textile Sector
India’s Textile Sector
The Ministry of Textiles released the report “Mapping of Textile Waste Value Chain in India”, highlighting the need to adopt circular economy principles to ensure the long-term sustainability and global competitiveness of India’s textile sector.
Significance of the Textile Sector
Economic Engine:
The textile and apparel sector contributes around 2% of India’s GDP and 11% of manufacturing Gross Value Added (GVA).
Livelihood Generation:
It is India’s second-largest employer after agriculture, providing direct employment to over 45 million people and supporting another 100 million indirectly.
Global Footprint:
India is the 6th largest textile and apparel exporter, accounting for about 4% of global exports.
Need for Circularity in India’s Textile Sector
Waste Burden:
India generates 8.5% of global textile waste and is the third-largest generator of dry municipal textile waste.
Resource Depletion:
Cotton cultivation requires large amounts of freshwater and fertilizers, leading to groundwater depletion and land degradation.
Chemical Pollution:
Textile processing, bleaching, and dyeing release harmful chemicals and heavy metals into water bodies.
Export Compliance:
Markets like the European Union require Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and Digital Product Passports (DPPs), making traceability and recyclability essential.
Current Waste & Recycling Landscape
India generates around 7.8 million tonnes of textile waste annually, with over 70% recovered through recycling, reuse, upcycling, or downcycling.
|
Waste Category |
Key Attributes & Performance |
|
Pre-Consumer Waste (Factory Scrap) |
Around 95% recovery. Manufacturing waste is largely recycled back into production. |
|
Post-Consumer Waste (Household & Retail) |
Around 55% recovery. Collection depends mainly on the informal waste sector, reflecting weak household collection systems. |
Integrated textile parks under the 5F (Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign) model with CETPs and scientific waste management.
Polluting textile units are covered under the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS) with mandatory GHG emission reporting.
- RAMP Programme Support:
- MSE-SPICE: 25% capital subsidy for resource-efficient machinery.
- MSE-GIFT: 2% interest subvention for adopting green technologies.
- National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM):
Supports R&D to convert textile waste and biomass into high-value technical textiles and carbon fibres.
Promotes eco-labeling of textile products to improve access to green export markets.
Encourages clothing reuse, repair, and sustainable consumption.
A voluntary initiative by CMAI, UN India, and the Ministry of Textiles promoting sustainable sourcing and manufacturing.
Over 90% of textile waste workers are informal, lacking social security, skills, and modern equipment.
Mechanical recycling is well developed, but advanced textile-to-textile chemical recycling remains limited and expensive.
Limited digital tracking makes compliance with EU Digital Product Passport requirements difficult.
Integrate informal waste workers into formal collection systems and strengthen sorting infrastructure.
Promote Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) to establish chemical recycling facilities in major textile clusters.
Use digital traceability systems and QR-based tracking across the textile supply chain.
Promote mono-material garments to simplify recycling and improve material recovery.
A circular textile economy can reduce waste, conserve resources, and strengthen India's global competitiveness. By improving waste collection, expanding advanced recycling, and enhancing supply-chain traceability, India can build a sustainable and resilient textile industry while protecting livelihoods and meeting international environmental standards.