The Tiruppur Exporters Association (TEA) has joined the international non-profit Textile Exchange, based in the Netherlands.
With 1,260 garment exporters as members in Tiruppur, the TEA president K.M. Subramanian said that the Association had joined the 800-member Exchange. The TEA members would have a forum to learn more about international trends and specifications connected to sustainable clothing manufacture thanks to this membership. A number of US and EU brands participated in the Exchange and learned about Tiruppur’s capabilities. This would be advantageous for exporters who use cotton and MMF.
Additionally, a number of large-scale garment producers in Tiruppur were investing in environmentally friendly and green garment production, and some of them were members of the Exchange. The MSME units lacked access to information on sustainability, though. “We’ll educate our people and spread knowledge. All information about sustainable production that we learn through the Exchange will be shared with them. Depending on the requirements of the customers and the capabilities of the exporters, we will also connect exporters and brands.
According to A. Sakthivel, the chairman of the TEA, initiatives to promote sustainability in Tiruppur began more than ten years ago with investments made by the garment manufacturers in solar and wind energy as well as zero liquid discharge systems. They were now beginning to repeat themselves. Environmentally conscious and sustainable manufacture was also gaining popularity among consumers. The efforts in Tiruppur gained attention among the buyers thanks to membership in the Exchange. Nearly all of these ideas were promoted during the 50th India Knit Fair, and members of the Textile Exchange were made aware of it.
