Dr. K. S. Muralidhara
Jt. Director
Textiles Committee
Min. of Textiles, Govt. of India
ABSTRACT
The garment industry generates significant waste including fabric scraps, dead stock, and unsold garments. Approximately two-thirds of the total textiles are discarded and end up in landfills. Upcycling, the creative transformation of materials into products of equal or higher quality, offers a sustainable solution. Upcycling provides an innovative approach to reducing waste, promoting sustainability in addition to generating income for artisans. From an Indian perspective, Upcycling offers a sustainable solution to the textile industry’s waste management issues. Standardization, Certification, and Government Initiatives can promote upcycling practices, reduce waste, and support sustainable development. This paper explores the concept of upcycling, its benefits, and the need for standardization and certification.
1. Indian Textile and Clothing Industry
The Textile and Clothing industry is one of the important industry sectors of India. This industry contributes more than 2.3 per cent of the total GDP, 12 per cent to total exports and accounts for 4 percent of the global share. A CAGR of well above 15% shows the importance of this industry for the Indian economy. The T & C sector is the second largest provider of employment to an estimated 4.5 crore people directly and to another 6 crore people indirectly. The Indian apparel industry, encompassing clothing and made-ups, is a vital value chain sector within the textile industry. A report titled “Prospect of Textiles and Clothing Industry in India 2022” reveals that the apparel sector alone contributes approximately 40% of India’s total textile exports. Notably, the apparel sector is predominantly driven by Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), which employ around 30% of the total workforce. India’s garment industry is highly fragmented, with a significant focus on domestic manufacturing. Estimates suggest that the industry comprises 27,000 domestic manufacturers, 48,000 job contractors, and 1,000 export manufacturers. Collectively, these industries utilize 1.5 million machines to manufacture garments, consuming approximately 1.5 million tons of textile fabric available in India.
The important garment clusters of India include Ludhiana, Delhi NCR, Jaipur, Bhilwara, Ahmadabad, Indore, Kolkata Vapi/Daman, Mumbai, Bangalore and Tirupur. Geographically, men’s garments are largely produced in western and southern India while women’s garments are produced predominantly in the northern part of India and Eastern India specializes in children’s garments. The Indian textile & clothing industry is valued at USD 165 billion out of which USD 37 billion in textiles & clothing are exported and the rest USD 128 billion worth is left in the domestic market (data of 2022). According to Statista, on average, the Indian textiles industry produces about 70.5 billion square metres of fabric comprising 36.34 billion sq. met cotton fabric, 23.50 Billion Sq. met non-cotton and 10.51 billion sq. met blended fabric. The same source estimated Indian Apparel industry produces USD 105.39 billion worth of garments which comprise USD 20 billion in men’s wear, and USD 51.0 billion in women’s wear. This industry produces 80% cotton garments 15% synthetic garments and the remaining 5% garment of silk and produces about 100 different types of garments for men women and children. According to an estimate, this garment industry provides 33% knitwear and 20% woven garments by volume to the export market. Overall 20% of garments made in India go for export leaving the rest of the products for the domestic market. On average every Indian buy about 5 garments every year. The number of apparel sold in India is expected to rise to 40.1 billion pieces by 2028.
2. Industry Scraps from the Textile and Clothing Sector
The textile industry in general and the apparel industry in particular generate inevitable textile scraps during the chain of production processes. The fabric-cutting stage is notorious for being the most waste-generating stage in any garment factory. The overall percentage of fabric wastage during cutting depends on several factors, including marker efficiency, marker planning, the garment’s style, and the fabric’s weave. In the clothing industry, marker efficiency plays a pivotal role. Planners adopt various measures to control waste through subtraction cutting, geometric cutting, jigsaw cutting, incision cutting, and other techniques, most large-scale factories usually ignore this issue to meet the production deadline and plan fabric cutting with an additional allowance of 3 at least per cent fabric consumption for wastage. Considering the different styles, and types of garments produced, there is a loss of 15 to 20 percent of fabric as waste in all garment processes. However efficient the technology is, the wastage of fabric during garment making is inevitable. In addition, the garment rejection rate in India varies from 2% to 6% in organized factories but can go up to 30% in any unorganized factories. According to an estimate, 12 percent of fibre is wasted up to the fabric manufacture stage and another 25% of the fabric is wasted at the garmenting stage. The textile industry generates a substantial amount of waste, referred to as Pre-Consumer waste, which occurs at the industrial level. Throughout the textile production process, from design to end-use, approximately two-thirds of the total textile produced is discarded, ultimately ending up in landfills. In India, nearly 5% of landfills are consumed by textile waste. This variable wastes when equated to millions of garments produced amount to a high quantity of waste.
According to Fashion for Good, India handles about a staggering 7,800 kilotonnes of textile waste annually, accounting for 8.5 per cent of the global value. Out of this huge volume, 2950 kilotonnes is pre-consumer waste, 4250 kilotonnes are post-consumer waste and the remaining 600.61 kilotonnes is imported waste. Around 59 per cent of this waste is sent back into the textile industry through re-sue and recycling processes. 19 per cent of the remaining waste is downcycled, 5 per cent is incinerated and 17 per cent goes to landfill. It is estimated that about 42 per cent of waste comes from pre-consumer processes such as offcuts, offcuts, rejects, unsold dead stocks, yarn scraps, etc., and 51 per cent of the total originated from post-consumer sources like discarded clothing.
3. Environmental Impact of Textile Waste
As enunciated above, the industry is throwing away huge quantities of textiles in the form of fibre, yarn, fabric, garments or made-ups as waste for various reasons. Globally an estimated USD 500 billion is lost every year due to underutilization of clothing and lack of recycling. Heaps of discarded fabric, dead stocks, unsold garments, garment rejects, damaged clothing and fabric scraps paint a grim picture of the textile industry’s environmental impact. India, a major player in the global textile scene, is no stranger to this. As it is well documented, the overall fashion industry is responsible for 10% of greenhouse gas emissions and 20% of global wastewater, in addition to consuming large amounts of water, energy and chemicals for the manufacturing of clothes. Open and unsanitary landfills of textile waste release microplastics into the air in addition to the release of mutagenic and other toxic chemicals and dyes to water and soil. Coupled with this, the land-filled textile takes hundreds of years to decompose and this is one of the main reasons for soil pollution, deforestation and soil erosion.
4. Textile Upcycling – A Way Forward to Addressing Waste Heap
Although textile recycling is a well-established practice, the institutionalised concept of upcycling remains in its early stages of development. Upcycling involves the creative transformation of materials into products of equal or higher quality, effectively revaluing textile “waste” and prolonging its lifespan. This innovative approach aligns with the circular design strategy of “Design for Low Waste,” primarily aimed at addressing the pressing issue of waste management. Moreover, upcycling offers a valuable opportunity for artisans to generate income and create new employment avenues.
Upcycling is necessary as a substitute for producing new things to meet the increasing demands being a greener way of recycling. A key step in the cradle-to-cradle practice is consequently upcycling where a closed-loop cycle arises from the theoretical possibility of producing an unlimited number of products from the same resources. Through upcycling, the value/quality of the product is improved, and its aesthetic appeal is enhanced as it is created with character and charm. According to Fletcher and Grose upcycling of textile waste is like giving new value to materials that are either discarded or are not being used anymore or repurposing lower-value items.
Upcycling is an integral part of the circular economy, which seeks to reduce waste and optimize resource utilization. The principles of designing for durability, repairing and refurbishing products, and promoting reuse are closely aligned with upcycling practices. Although a unified standard for upcycling is currently lacking, upcyclers can leverage existing frameworks and principles to inform their practices and demonstrate their commitment to sustainable and ethical production. As consumer interest in upcycled products grows and environmental awareness increases, we can expect to see further developments in standardization and certification for upcycled textiles in the future. Some basic requirements for upcycled textile products can be as follows.
- Material Selection: Upcycling involves repurposing discarded materials, so it’s important to select textiles that are suitable for reuse. The souring of waste should be from the textile production unit which should have declared such textile as waste or not usable. The left-out running textile material can also be considered. High-quality materials with minimal damage or wear can also be selected, as they result in better-finished products.
- Ethical Sourcing: Upcycling should adhere to ethical sourcing practices, which may involve using second-hand textiles from reliable sources, ensuring fair labour practices in any manufacturing processes, and avoiding materials that contribute to environmental harm or exploitation.
- Sustainability: Upcycling is inherently sustainable, but there are additional steps that can be taken to enhance sustainability. This includes using eco-friendly techniques and materials, minimizing waste, reducing energy consumption, and prioritizing low-impact production methods.
- Quality Control: Upcycled textile products should meet certain quality standards to ensure durability and longevity. This includes thorough inspection of materials for damage or flaws, as well as ensuring precise craftsmanship during the upcycling process. Primarily, the colour’s fastness to light, Rubbing and washing should meet the specified value when tested as per relevant standards. Besides, the stitch per inch and seam strength are also important parameters.
- Compliance with Regulations: Upcycled textile products must comply with relevant regulations and standards for safety, labelling, and environmental impact. This may include prohibited carcinogenic chemicals such as Azo dyes and Formaldehyde beyond permissible limits.
- Transparency and Traceability: Upcycled textile producers should be transparent about the materials used and the production process. Providing information about the original source of materials, the upcycling process, and any environmental or social impacts associated with production helps build trust with consumers.
- Community Engagement: Many upcycled textile producers are involved in community building and education around sustainable practices. Engaging with the community through workshops, partnerships, or educational initiatives helps promote awareness and adoption of upcycling practices. While there may not be formal regulatory standards specifically tailored to upcycled textile products, adhering to these principles helps ensure that upcycled products meet high standards of quality, sustainability, and ethical responsibility.
5. Policy Advocacy & Government Initiatives
According to the United Nations report released in June 2013, World Population Prospects: the 2012 Revision, the world population is projected to cross 9.5 billion by 2050. Considering the increase in wealth and prosperity of emerging countries, questions are emerging about the availability of fibres, textiles, and garments to meet the demand. The textile and clothing sector must find ways to deal with the issues.
Legislative measures could be used to promote sustainability measures like recycling or upcycling through imposing landfill taxes, tax exemption for donations to charities to collect and manage waste, and Harmonized System codes which facilitate trade uniformity and could make further provision for upcycled items. Stronger anti-dumping legislation to avoid trans-shipment and abandonment of responsibilities, product stewardship incentives to encourage the return of goods to their source, global apparel size standards, regulations to support third-party verification and standards as a solution to the problem of non-standardised materials, encourage R&D in upcycled materials etc, are some of the initiatives government can take up at policy level.
Considering the pertinent issue related to unorganised Upcycled Textile manufacturers and to bring them on to mainstream textile manufacturers, the Textiles Committee has signed a tripartite MoU with Government E-Market Place (GeM) and Standing Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE) on 28th Feb 2023 on the sidelines of Bharat Tex 2024. The following are the objectives.
- Promotion of upcycled products in public procurement
- Develop and implement community-focused programs that are inclusive, equitable, and environmentally sustainable.
- Promoting women’s empowerment, and livelihoods generation, and preserving Indian art and
- Harness the entrepreneurial potential of both established and emerging Upcyclers in India,
Consequent to the signing of the tripartite MoU, the Textiles Committee has completely implemented the program and registered 25 upcycled textile manufacturers under this program. The Textiles Committee has also developed a robust Standard Operating Protocol for the registration of Upcycled Textile Manufacturers. The certificate with traceability features issued by the Textiles Committee enables the Upcycled Textile Manufacturers to register on GeM to market their product among CPSEs.
In conclusion, the textile industry’s environmental impact is a pressing concern, with massive amounts of waste generated throughout the production process. Upcycling offers a sustainable solution, transforming discarded materials into products of equal or higher quality. To promote upcycling practices, governments and industries must work together to establish standards, regulations, and initiatives that support sustainable production and consumption. The Textiles Committee’s efforts to promote upcycled products and register upcycled textile manufacturers are a step in the right direction. Ultimately, adopting upcycling practices and promoting sustainable textile production can help mitigate the industry’s environmental impact and create a more circular and responsible textile industry.
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