Sorting for Circularity India: Pre-Consumer Pilot
The Sorting for Circularity India Pre-Consumer Pilot aimed to organise the Indian textile waste market by establishing a circular economy that maximises value recovery from textile waste. This pilot addressed pre-consumer waste (factory floor cutting waste) and aimed to demonstrate a 360° closed-loop system, where factory waste is segregated, digitally traced, and then processed by recyclers to produce new fibres, which are returned to the production chain. The initiative sought to enhance transparency, traceability, and efficiency in India’s textile waste management system.
What's the challenge?
India’s textile industry produces significant amounts of pre-consumer waste, yet this waste remains underutilised due to inefficiencies in segregation, digital traceability, and recycling infrastructures. As a result, much of the waste is not properly valorised, leading to economic and environmental inefficiencies. There is a need to build scalable solutions that allow the recycling of textile waste back into production and create value for all stakeholders.
Executive Summary
The Sorting for Circularity India Pre-Consumer Pilot, a collaborative effort between Fashion for Good and Reverse Resources, sought to streamline India’s textile waste management by demonstrating a circular value chain for post-industrial waste. The pilot digitally traced factory waste from generation to recycling, showcasing the benefits of segregation and traceability in the textile supply chain. Over 84 tonnes of segregated waste were processed and traced in the pilot, offering brands visibility into their waste and recyclers access to high-quality feedstock. The results highlighted the potential for scaling circular textile practices in India, with waste successfully turned into new fibres, closing the loop in the production cycle.
Goals of the Project
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Demonstrate a 360° circular value chain for pre-consumer textile waste.
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Digitally trace textile waste from generation to recycling, ensuring transparency.
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Minimise the role of intermediaries to make recycling processes more efficient and cost-effective.
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Test business models to incentivise recycling and explore economic benefits for manufacturers, waste handlers and recyclers.
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Provide brands with visibility into the waste generated in their supply chains through the Reverse Resources platform.
Timeline
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Q2 2022
Manufacturers and recyclers onboarded to Reverse Resources platform
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Q3 2022
Waste segregated by type, composition and colour, data entered onto platform
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Q4 2022
Segregated waste matched to recyclers, pilot successfully traced 84 tonnes of waste, fostering brand partnerships and waste insights.
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Dec 2022
Project Close
Project Results
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Waste Processed: Approximately 84 tonnes of segregated textile waste were digitally traced and sent to recyclers during the pilot.
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Efficiency Gains: Direct relationships between manufacturers and recyclers reduced the need for intermediaries, streamlining the supply chain.
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Importance of Waste Handler network: Involving waste handlers in specific transactions was crucial for efficient utilisation, formalising the supply chain and enhancing traceability.
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Brand Visibility: Brands gained access to real-time data on their waste streams through the Reverse Resources platform, improving transparency and accountability.
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Business Models: Manufacturers, waste handlers and recyclers successfully tested new business models that demonstrated the economic benefits of segregation and recycling.
Innovation Partners
Project Partners
Implementation Partners
Innovator
Advisory Partners
Relevant Resources
Fashion for Good Launches The Sorting for Circularity India Project
Report Launch: Fashion Innovation Landscape in India
Sorting for Circularity India Toolkit Launched: Pioneering Partnership Sets India on Path to Next-Gen Textiles Leadeship
Wealth in Waste: India's Potential to Lead Circular Textile Sourcing
Other Projects
Sorting for Circularity Rewear
Fashion for Good expanded its Sorting for Circularity framework to address the challenge of sorting for rewearable textiles to understand better their resale potential and the demand across the second-hand market. We launched an 18-month initiative in January 2024 in collaboration with Circle Economy, brand partners adidas, Inditex, Levi Strauss & Co. and Zalando to enhance the sorting of rewearable textiles using innovative AI technologies. The project seeks to improve garment recovery for resale, promoting circularity in the fashion industry.
Behind the Break
Behind the Break is a multi-phase research initiative developed by Fashion for Good in collaboration with The Microfibre Consortium. The project takes a research-led approach to advance the fashion industry’s understanding of fibre fragmentation, addressing uncertainties in existing testing protocols and key knowledge gaps. By supporting the development of a more credible and consistent foundation, the initiative aims to enable stakeholders to make informed decisions and take decisive action to mitigate fibre fragment pollution, while leveraging the best available science.
Behind the Break 2.0
Behind the Break 2.0 is a targeted research initiative focused on addressing fibre fragmentation in textiles, building directly on the work started in Phase 1.0 (2024–2025), which tested the strengths and limitations of different methods used to measure fibre loss, identifying how much results vary between labs, and exploring what drives fibre shedding across three fabric types: cotton knit, cotton woven, and polyester knit. Phase 2.0 seeks to increase confidence in data quality, consolidate and refine existing testing approaches and knowledge across selected fabric archetypes, and deepen supplier engagement to support wider data collection within the space.
