Govt to make India a global hub for ‘circular textiles’

Govt to make India a global hub for ‘circular textiles’

Subject: Environment

Section: Sustainable development

In News: Government has initiated work on drafting policies to make India a global hub for sourcing sustainable and circular textiles and garments.

Key Points:

• The Textiles Ministry is set to start the mapping of the textile waste value chain in India with the aim to position the country as a global hub for circular textiles. It seeks to do so by establishing textile recycling clusters
• Regulatory framework to be developed on circularity in major export destinations and competitor countries that could have an impact on India’s exports of textiles
• What is ‘circularity’ in textiles value chain ?
  • Circularity aims to shift from the “take-make-dispose” linear value chain into a circular system, where materials are not lost after use but remain in the economy, circulating as long as possible at the highest possible value, according to the United Nations Environment Programme.
  • It is estimated that the extent of textile-to-textile waste recycling is less than 1 per cent.
• Why important ?
  • With the EU and other major textile markets initiating strategies to transition towards sustainable and recyclable textiles, it is imperative to avoid being unprepared and left behind.
  • European Union’s Circular Economy Action Plan includes the `EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles’ under which by 2030 all textile products placed on the EU market have to be durable, repairable, and recyclable. They will, to a great extent, have to be made of recycled fibres, free of hazardous substances, produced in respect of social rights and the environment, as per the strategy.
  • The government hopes to more than double India’s textiles exports to $100 billion over the next 5-6 years. In view of this India cannot afford to lose major markets like the EU, due sustainability measures.