The Fabric of Life.

India is a textile powerhouse. We are one of the largest producers and consumers of textile products. Even so, in our country, clothing is hardly discarded. We follow a standard practice of using old, well-worn clothes for a new born baby. Soft cotton clothes and sarees are still the go to substitutes for sanitary napkins.? The Kantha work of Bengal is one of the oldest recycling practices. Entire communities have forged their identities on the vocation of recycling of clothes. There are the nomadic Waghris of Gujarat and Rajasthan. They make a living by collecting and selling old clothes. We see hardworking ‘bartanwalis’ barter aluminium and steel vessels for old clothes. OK, how many of you have not used a humble durry rug. I bet some of you may have even tried making one during the boring lockdown days. It is part of our tradition and culture to preserve old textiles.

?Despite all this we still end up making a lot of clothing waste. Not only do we generate huge amounts of textile waste, we also end up being one of the largest importers of second hand clothing and torn rags. We amass about 7800 kilotonnes of textile waste in India every year. A bulk of the waste generated is processed, repaired and exported to many impoverished countries around the world. Some of the recovered garments and accessories are high in demand even in Europe and the USA. What goes around comes around, doesn’t it?

?We are one of the world leaders in textile waste recovery and recycling. Yet we are not managing this waste (or raw material, depending on your perspective) to our capacity.? We preserve national capital and reduce the dependency on virgin resources by bringing textile waste back into use.

?The fact remains that almost half of the post-consumer textile waste is being down-cycled, landfilled, and burned. Although incineration of waste is for energy recovery, it is against the ethos of recycling. This shows the lack of efficiency in managing textile waste. It is in contrast to our ingrained culture and history of reusing and repurposing garments. The poor and voiceless millions suffer the effects of environmental degradation. They pay the cost of fast fashion.

?There is no established concept of circular approach to recycling of textile waste in India. The idea of circularity pitches for a regenerative system wherein textile is used as long as it has value and is recycled to its full potential. This method minimises leakage, waste and pollution. As of this day, the value chain remains unorganised and obscured, leading to leakage of waste at many levels. There is almost no outside support for technology upgradation and standardisation of processes. As a result the recycled yarn produced is of low quality and is considered unfit for the global supply chain. The recycled yarn also has to compete with synthetic fibres which are more affordable.

We could address the problems faced by the recycling industry by identifying the bottlenecks to the principles of circularity.

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Ineffective waste management:

?There is no segregation at source. The contamination due to lack of sorting can affect downstream processes. There is lack of standards and absence of regulations for domestic post-consumer waste collection. Rural areas are invisible to most of the waste management programs.

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The unorganized nature of the textile value chain:

?There is a major communication gap between the different players of the industry. The high cost of or lack of availability of transportation. The need to test each and every batch for banned or unwanted chemicals. The cost accumulation due to the presence of multiple middle men. The lack of transparency and insufficient training leading to leakage and down-cycling

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The inefficiency in realisation of waste potential:

?The technological backwardness is hindering the production of high-quality yarns. The almost negligible presence of chemical recycling infrastructure. Polyester contamination in domestically produced textiles is making gathering of waste a less attractive proposition. The high wear and tear of domestic post-consumer textile waste which makes it unviable for recycling.

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Concerns over worker-wellbeing:

?The lack of social security. Low wages. Absence of safe and secure working conditions.

?What actions could be taken to reform and realign the textile waste recycling industry? Let’s explore.

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Ensuring the creation of infrastructure, systems and regulations for textile waste management.

Ensuring high value returns for all stakeholders. Ensuring worker wellbeing, participation of female work-force, especially in the skilled and technical aspects of the industry. Formalising the value-chain.

?Establishing standards in material identification and sorting. Introduction of government policies on Extended Producer Responsibility, much like the ones introduced for single use plastics.

?Extensive consumer education – consumers must be made aware of the environmental impact of their present buying patterns. They should be encouraged to purchase long-lasting items from recycled materials. Fast fashion must be discouraged. Emphasis on sustainability.

?Enabling new age designers and 'couturists' to create fashionable, upcycled products out of textile waste.

?We recycle because we are thrifty and conscious of nature. Let’s not forget it’s a form of artistic expression also. Recycling clothes is more than just being eco-friendly; it is like weaving a fabric of positive change. Let's get together to sustain the fabric of life.