United Nations Environment Programme
Are you sure you want to print? Save the planet. Opt not to print.
InTex India
- About the project
- Resources
- Key concepts
- Contacts
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. IndiaTex aims to accelerate the transition of the Indian textile sector towards circularity
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.
The UNEP Eco-innovation approach aims at the development and application of a business model, shaped by a new business strategy, which incorporates sustainability throughout all business operations based on life cycle thinking and in cooperation with partners across the value chain. It entails a coordinated set of modifications or novel solutions to products (goods/services), processes, market approach and organizational structure which leads to a company’s enhanced performance and competitiveness.
You can also find more information on how eco-innovation can make SMEs more sustainable on the document available at this page.
The European Commission’s Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) is an assessment method used to measure the environmental performance of a good or service throughout its life cycle (from extraction of raw materials, through production and use, to final waste management). Being a standardized methodology, PEF allows for robust product comparisons. SMEs can use PEF to compare their product’s environmental footprint to similar products or to the European benchmark and gain competitive advantage and credibility. SMEs can use PEF also to inform consumers and customers about the environmental performance of their products.
Circularity provides a model to transform the current economic model towards a sustainable future. As outlined in the UNEP circularity platform, circularity’s underlying objective is that materials should be kept at their highest possible value as they move and are retained within the value chain. This reduces the use of natural resources and environmental impacts per unit of economic activity or output, while continuing to enable improvements in human well-being. Circularity is built on the overall guiding principle of ‘’Reduce by design’’, and value retention loops, as shown in the UNEP circularity approach below:
For more information about the project, please contact:
- Bettina Heller, UN Environment Programme bettina.heller@un.org
- Claudia Giacovelli, UN Environment Programme claudia.giacovelli@un.org
