Weaving Sustainability into India’s Textile Future:
India’s textile sector is moving towards circular and sustainable production through policy support for organic fibres, safer chemicals, textile-waste recovery, recycling, eco-labelling, traceability, green manufacturing and market-based sustainability standards.
- Cleaner technologies, responsible sourcing and waste reduction are being promoted to improve resource efficiency and keep Indian textiles competitive in global markets.
- India’s textile and apparel sector is a major pillar of the manufacturing economy, contributing about 2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and nearly 11% of manufacturing Gross Value Added (GVA).
- India is the world’s sixth-largest exporter of textiles and apparel, with around 4% of global exports, while the sector directly employs more than 45 million people, including many women and rural workers.
- Given its large economic footprint, export dependence and employment intensity, the sector must adopt environmentally responsible production to remain competitive in changing global markets.
- Circular production is gaining importance by building on India’s tradition of resource-conscious textile practices and responding to rising global demand for products with a lower environmental footprint.
- Sustainability can be understood across different stages of the production cycle, influencing choices related to raw materials, manufacturing processes, quality standards and market access throughout the textile value chain.
