India Textile Recycling Market Research Report, 2029

India's textile recycling market is poised for transformative growth, driven by increasing environmental awareness, rising textile waste, and government initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable practices in the fashion and apparel industry. Rising environmental concerns, in confluence with the escalating demand for recycled textiles to reduce waste incineration, depletion of raw materials and heavy industrial discharges from textile mills, represent one of the primary factors bolstering the market growth in India. Moreover, various recycling companies, along with non-government organizations (NGOs), are undertaking initiatives to promote textile recycling in the country. However, the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and subsequent lockdown restrictions imposed by the Government of India has halted operations temporarily. The market in the country is anticipated to recover once normalcy is regained. Panipat is a town of more than 0.3 Million population, located 90 kms north of New Delhi. The specialty of this town is that most of the rejected garments from all across the world end up here for recycling. It is ironic that many of these garments could be originally made in India for US or European fashion labels, and has since then made it journey round the world and back to India. Apart from various household activities, some recycling-based crafts probably emerged either to show creative expression or as a good and cheap substitute for raw materials. These recycling-based crafts are mainly female-dominated activities. Over the years, a number of these crafts have become sources of income and livelihood. The kantha work of Bengal is often considered one of the oldest recycling practices associated with textiles in the craft sector. In this craft, excellent use of old muslin sarees is done as the base material to engrave beautiful running stitch hand embroidery. The nomadic tribes of Bakkarwal and Gujjar from Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan, respectively, use various recycling-based textile craft, which is a part of their tradition and culture and to preserve the old textiles. Tribes belonging to Jammu and Kashmir convert the old woollen felt blankets into handmade rugs using handmade needlework embroidery using acrylic yarns. According to the research report, "India Textile Recycling Market Research Report, 2029," published by Actual Market Research, the India textile recycling market is anticipated to add to more than USD 80 Million by 2024–29. The land of India has a rich cultural tradition related to the re-use and recycling of old textiles. Practices such as passing on clothes within families, converting old clothes into quilts or bags, and other such purposes can do much to aid the growth of the textile recycling market. They build social acceptance and understanding of textile recycling, on easier grounds for initiatives related to recycling to take hold. Furthermore, cultural significance can become a driver for innovation in recycling in India and really resonate with the cultural sensibilities of consumers. At any rate, innovation is one of the critical drivers of the textile recycling market. New technologies can increase the efficiency of recycling processes and produce a wider range of textile waste. For example, now chemical recycling is set to recycle through new innovations blended fabrics previously difficult to recycle with mechanical methods. Product design innovations lead to attractive high-value products being made from recycled textiles that boost their demand in the marketplace. With a robust tech industry and an able workforce within the country, the scope of innovation in textile recycling is vast. In that case, an awareness creation on textile recycling is very essential, wherein right now, very little is known among consumers, industries, and even policymakers on why and how about textile recycling. Greater awareness can eventually channel more textile waste into recycling facilities, generate user demand for recyclates, and encourage policies that support the recycling industry. Awareness can be created in many ways, either through social media, institutions, or community initiatives. India’s textiles sector is one of the oldest industries in the Indian economy, dating back to several centuries.

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Cotton commands the major share of India's textile recycling market since it finds huge use in the fashion industry, coupled with consumer sentiment use towards sustainable and biodegradable materials. Cotton is a natural fiber that forms bulk part of the waste in textiles. Therefore, it is the material most preferred for recycling. Well-established infrastructure and availability of technology for processing cotton already exist, making the recycling process efficient. The growing segment is polyester and polyester fiber, largely due to their increasing demand for synthetic fabrics in all applications from apparel to home textiles. Inherent durability, versatility, and inexpensiveness could be the factors that have led to extensive use of polyester, resulting in huge accumulations of wastes. Growing awareness related to the environmental impact of polyester production and waste adds impetus, coupled with innovations in recycling technologies. As consumers and brands take a more careful approach to being more environmentally friendly, the focus has become how to create closed-loop systems in order to recycle polyester. Most of the use of nylon is for activewear and industrial textiles, and wool also has great value for insulation such as it produces less waste than cotton and polyester. The "Others" category encompasses a wide range of fibers, such as acrylic and blends, that are less frequently recycled due to their complicated processing requirements and little demand from the markets. The sector dominating the textile recycling market in India is apparel waste. This is rightfully so because of the high volume of clothing wastes that are discarded every year. Fast fashion, part of an industry in expansion, means a huge amount of textile wastes arising during the phase of consumption. Apparel wastes are not only abundant but usually made of recyclable materials, thus remaining as target number one by many recycling initiatives. Furthermore, growing consumer awareness about sustainability and pressure for circular fashion models strengthen the focus on recycling apparel wastes. Another fast-growing business category is that of furnishings, indicative of the growing demand for home textiles, which includes curtains, upholstery, and bed sheets. This segment has been growing with an increased trend in renovation of homes and expansion of the interior design market in India. As more household investment goes into home furnishings, the volume of textiles landfilled from this category increases. With increased interest in home furnishings that have sustainable practices, such as including recycled content, there is an element of interest in recycling from this sector. Automotive wastes include textiles used in the interior of vehicles, being seats and carpets. These are not as widely recovered for recycling because materials are complex in nature and the recycling processes also differ. The "Others" category includes different sources of textiles, among them industrial waste and specialty fabrics that have limited recycling capabilities, mostly due to their specific properties and low volumes compared with apparel and home furnishing waste. The mechanical process has been the leading segment in India's textile recycling market due to its established technology and infrastructure. Mechanical recycling grinds physically textile wastes into fibers but retains their chemical structure. Since this is applicable to a vast majority of materials, this means very few limitations to recycling a large percentage of post-consumer textile waste. It dominates the market because of the accessibility of mechanical recycling methods and their comparative lower cost of implementation. Moreover, mechanical recycling goes hand in hand with the growing amount of waste textiles, thus providing a more straightforward and efficient way of recycling for the production of high-quality recycled fibers for applications in new textile products. Fast-growing is chemical recycling, given the relevance brought by technology and the need to have a broader solution to textile waste. Chemical recycling breaks down the textiles at a molecular level and allow recovering pure fibers from complex blends, which are challenging to recycle mechanically. This becomes very helpful in synthetic fibers, like polyester and nylon, wherein mechanical methods prove unsatisfactory. In view of this increasing demand for sustainable textiles, the potential for recycling mixed fibers and turning them into virgin-like material places chemical recycling as one of the more promising alternatives. Government initiatives and investments in research and development help drive innovation in this area.

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Kripa Shah

Senior Analyst

The Indian textile recycling market has remained dominated by the post-consumer textile waste segment and is growing with the increasing volume of clothing that is being discarded by consumers. Fast fashion resulted in high obsolescence of textiles, because of which wardrobes are replenished frequently. This includes garments that have reached their end-of-life cycle and are discarded by consumers. The attention now toward sustainable practices and circular economy models increases awareness about recycling postconsumer wastes, making this area quite crucial with respect to recycling initiatives. In addition, government policies and campaigns increase awareness regarding waste segregation and recycling, hence increasing the scope of this segment. The pre-consumer textile waste though not as prominent as the other one consists of scraps and excess materials created during the process of manufacturing before the garments ever reach the consumer. Although this segment is small in volume compared to post-consumer waste, it represents a very large recycling opportunity. In most cases, pre-consumer waste is more homogeneous and much easier to process, thus becoming perfect e raw materials for recycling into new textiles or other products. Nevertheless, the prospects for growth in this segment are modest because manufacturers are now reaching out to minimize the generation of waste through more efficient production processes and practices. Considered in this report • Historic year: 2018 • Base year: 2023 • Estimated year: 2024 • Forecast year: 2029 Aspects covered in this report • Textile Recycling market Research Report with its value and forecast along with its segments • Various drivers and challenges • On-going trends and developments • Top profiled companies • Strategic recommendation

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By Material • Cotton • Polyester & Polyester Fiber • Nylon & Nylon Fiber • Wool • Others By Source • Apparel Waste • Home Furnishing Waste • Automotive Waste • Others By End-Use Industry • Apparel • Home Furnishings • Industrial & Institutional • Others By Textile Waste • Post-consumer • Pre-consumer By Process • Mechanical • Chemicals The approach of the report: This report consists of a combined approach of primary and secondary research. Initially, secondary research was used to get an understanding of the market and list the companies that are present in it. The secondary research consists of third-party sources such as press releases, annual reports of companies, and government-generated reports and databases. After gathering the data from secondary sources, primary research was conducted by conducting telephone interviews with the leading players about how the market is functioning and then conducting trade calls with dealers and distributors of the market. Post this; we have started making primary calls to consumers by equally segmenting them in regional aspects, tier aspects, age group, and gender. Once we have primary data with us, we can start verifying the details obtained from secondary sources. Intended audience This report can be useful to industry consultants, manufacturers, suppliers, associations, and organizations related to the Textile Recycling industry, government bodies, and other stakeholders to align their market-centric strategies. In addition to marketing and presentations, it will also increase competitive knowledge about the industry.