– By BM Sharma
Every year, the fashion and textile industries contribute billions of dollars to the global economy. Conversely, they have an adverse environmental impact. Approximately 20% of water pollution and 10% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions emerge from textiles. By 2030, the fashion sector’s GHG emissions are anticipated to soar by more than 50%.
Heavy Carbon Imprint and Sustainable Practices
India is the world’s largest textile and apparel manufacturer, with the sector accounting for 2.3% of the country’s GDP. By 2030, the industry plans to touch $250 billion in the production of textiles and $100 billion in exports. On the flipside, the textile sector generates 7,793 kilo tonnes of waste. Of this, 3,944 kilo tonnes is post-consumer textile waste. Almost 34% (1,347 kilo tonnes) of post-consumer textile waste reaches landfills, where some of it will require more than 200 years to decompose.
As climate change becomes a grim global reality, more consumers want apparel makers to offer fabrics based on sustainable processes. According to the India Sustainability Report 2023, 45% of respondents sought to embrace recyclable fashion, 49% aimed to adopt sustainable practices, and 22% preferred upcycled garments. Consequently, big brands are accepting the significance of sustainability. More than 40 prominent companies in India have committed to the SBTi (Science-based Target Initiative) framework for actively lowering GHG emissions. Likewise, top global brands are outlining GHG emission reduction goals while seeking sustainable suppliers.
To promote sustainability, textile firms must focus on curbing Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 emissions. Scope 1 relates to direct emissions from in-house or controlled sources, which can be curbed by using renewable energy and deploying energy-efficient processes. Scope 2 concerns indirect emissions generated from purchased electricity that could be targeted through the transition to green energy. Scope 3 denotes all other indirect emissions within the value chain, which need a comprehensive approach. This covers sustainable farming practices, eco-friendly transport, and retail operations.
With Indian textiles shifting to sustainable practices, several universal sustainability standards have acted as guideposts on this journey. This includes the Global Organic Textile Standard, which offers a vibrant quality assurance system by inspecting and certifying the complete textile supply chain, while the Better Cotton Initiative promotes responsible cotton cultivation and consumption.
Nationally, the Ministry of Textiles has formed a task force to provide industry-specific interventions. For instance, the Textile Export Promotion Council supports sustainable practices via schemes like the Kasturi Cotton Bharat initiative, emphasizing quality and responsible governance in India’s textile space. Given the rising climate threat, lowering emissions, implementing energy-efficient processes, and advancing net-zero emission goals are imperative to meet India’s global climate pledges, including those mandated in the Paris Agreement for 2050.
Some Challenges and Embedded Opportunities
However, the UN SDGs (sustainable development goals) present both challenges and opportunities in embracing these strategies. To begin with, almost 70% of the countries in Asia fall in the category of developing or least developed countries. This makes it challenging for them to make allocations to expensive measures regarding climate change mitigation and adoption. Be it India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Vietnam or Myanmar, these nations will find it hard to adopt capital-intensive measures to boost the environmental sustainability of their textile industries, which contribute substantially to emissions and ecological degradation.
Approximately 59% of India’s textile waste is recycled annually but the remaining 41% ends up in landfills or is improperly disposed off. Waste management can be challenging since there are no programmes to manage post-consumer waste. The biggest hurdle lies in promoting recycling due to the complex challenge of sorting and segregating reclaimed textiles, especially because blended garments typically have several diverse fibres plus contaminants derived from dyes and colours. As fast fashion gains prominence, cotton mills blend polyester and viscose with cotton. This retains economic viability while catering to the demand for cheap garments, but ends up filling landfills with more volumes of discarded garments.
Another challenge will arise in filling the skills gap related to sustainability in textiles. Though the country makes 25% of global cotton, providing skilled talent for jobs in the environmentally friendly ecosystem will pose intrinsic hurdles. This is because sustainability must be managed across the entire sourcing, procurement, manufacturing, distribution and sales ecosystem. Since the garment sector has both organized and unorganized players, this is a tough task.
As environmental awareness gains global currency, both manufacturers and consumers are steadily shifting from fast to slow fashion. The latter is based on the use, reuse and recycle concept of the circular economy. Likewise, the circular economy’s closed-loop system functions by designing, manufacturing, using and managing garments that circulate within consumer communities for the longest possible duration. Promoting maximum apparel usage ensures the least impact on the environment alongside low waste generation and efficient use of energy, water and other resources throughout the product’s lifecycle.
Besides, textile manufacturers are implementing an array of sustainability initiatives. These include an energy-efficient manufacturing process; water conservation and management; wastewater treatment and zero-liquid discharge practices; and developing a collaborative, transparent supply chain network, ensuring sustainability across the entire production chain, from raw material sourcing to end-products.
Yet, sustainability opportunities come embedded with challenges, since eco-friendly garments and raw material can be expensive. To offset high costs, companies must find cost-efficient decarbonisation alternatives while boosting energy efficiency, optimizing supply chains and improving production processes.
To support sustainable fashion, the central government has introduced the Handloom and Handicrafts Development Programme and the Sustainable Resolution (SU.RE) scheme. Furthermore, the Saathi programme by the Ministry of Textiles promotes sustainable textile production in partnership with private entities. In addition to these, the Centre must also establish clear sustainability standards and introduce conducive policies that incentivise sustainable processes and products.
The creation of a sustainable textile industry needs a holistic approach that combines innovation with a practical outlook to curb the wastage of resources via a circular economy model. Adopting a closed-loop system will benefit consumers and the community at large. Finally, a pragmatic model can ensure the Indian textile industry embraces sustainable practices without losing its global competitive edge.
(BM Sharma is the Joint Managing Director at RSWM Ltd.)
(Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of Financial Express Online. Reproducing this content without permission is prohibited.)
From: financialexpress
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