Fashion
India’s textile recycling market may reach $3.5 bn by 2030: Report
The report, titled ‘Mapping of Textile Waste Value Chain in India’, was released by the Union Minister of Textiles at an event held at Udyog Bhawan. The study provides a comprehensive assessment of textile waste generation, recovery pathways, recycling technologies and opportunities to strengthen circularity across the country’s textile value chain.
India generates around 70.73 lakh tonnes of textile waste annually, with more than 70 per cent already recovered through recycling, reuse and other value-recovery processes. The study finds that 42 per cent of textile waste originates from pre-consumer sources such as manufacturing waste, while 58 per cent comes from post-consumer disposal.
India’s textile recycling sector is poised for strong growth as circular economy practices gain momentum. With the country generating over 70 lakh tonnes of textile waste annually and more than 70 per cent already recovered, expanding recycling infrastructure and technologies could transform waste into a valuable resource.
The market may reach $3.5 billion by 2030, creating nearly one lakh green jobs.
Around 95 per cent of pre-consumer textile waste is recovered, reflecting strong recovery networks within the industry. The report also notes that the spinning sector has established a benchmark for circular production, with nearly 100 per cent of spinning waste reintegrated into production through in-situ recycling processes.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh said India’s textile sector has strong potential to lead the global transition towards sustainable and circular production systems. He added that the report provides a data-driven blueprint to transform textile waste into an economic resource through recycling, upcycling and resource recovery.
About 55 per cent of India’s post-consumer textile waste is diverted from landfills through an extensive informal collection and sorting network that supports 40-45 lakh livelihoods, many of them women from marginalised communities.
Cluster analysis in the report identifies Panipat as a major hub for mechanical textile recycling, receiving waste from multiple textile clusters for processing. The study suggests that expanding recycling infrastructure across key textile hubs could further improve efficiency and support localised recycling.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (JP)