Government mulls introducing mandatory recycled textile quota

The central government is considering introducing a mandatory quota of textiles made from recycled materials for its textile procurement practices. The move would promote sustainability and contribute to its goal of making India a hub for the circular textile economy. 

“We will look at government interventions based on short, medium, and long-term targets and examine the scope of textile recycle products being made mandatory in public procurement,” an official source told the Economic Times. 
 
In order to ensure that textile recycling is carried out in a correct and sustainable manner, the government plans to introduce country-wide textile recycling standards, ET Bureau reported. The government could also soon introduce textile recycling clusters to ensure industry workers have access to the latest technology. 

As India has the second largest integrated textiles industry globally, there exists a significant opportunity to expand its circular capability. As well as ameliorating India’s textile waste value chain, focusing on the industry would help to increase employment opportunities and decrease textile waste-led pollution.  
 
Before launching a wide-scale mandate, the government’s Ministry of Textiles plans to carry out an assessment on the current capabilities of the textile waste processing industry. The Textiles Ministry will also asses how the industry meets international standards in order to be able to decide how to upscale technology in the sector.