The project ‘Accelerating the Transition of the Indian Textile Sector towards Circularity’ (InTex India) is a four-year UNEP project funded by Denmark and implemented in collaboration with the Government of India’s Ministry of Textiles. The InTex India project will work with Indian brands as well as with textiles manufacturers Surat and Karur (along with adjoining clusters including Salem, Dindigul, Perundurai) to transition to circular practices, including through Life Cycle approaches and Eco-Innovation.
The textile sector is crucial for India’s economy and workforce. In an interconnected global value chain, integrating circular practices will improve the sector’s competitiveness and market access. India’s textile clusters are a particularly effective method to speed India’s transition to circularity.
Project duration: From December 2023 to December 2027
The project will work with the industry at brand level and in two textile clusters in India:
- Support SMEs in clusters to calculate their Product Environmental Footprint (PEF)
- Support SME brands to implement and communicate about circular business models
With the India Government, the project will:
- Build capacity and support the development and implementation of circular textile policies.
- Create convening opportunities for government, companies and organisations to coordinate and align on circular textiles ambition at national, regional and global level.
Who is the project targeting?
- Businesses, particularly SMEs, which must integrate life cycle approaches into their business practices and implement circular business models if they are to not only stay ahead of increasing environmental regulations but improve their competitiveness and market access.
- The Indian government that has set high ambitions for the competitiveness of its textile sector and its sustainability performance; it is also looking to match this with a suite of policies and instruments that not only encourage a shift towards competitive circularity while taking into account the needs of SMEs.