Connecting for

Positive Change
_
ktn-uk.org/Global

Global Expert Mission

Sustainable Fashion
in India
Contact
Siân Summerton
Programme Lead ‑ Global Expert Missions
[email protected]
07732 692184
 SUSTAINABLE FASHION IN INDIA

Contents
Welcome 4

Executive Summary 6

1. India’s Sustainable Fashion Landscape 8

1.1 Environmental Impact of Fashion 8
1.2 Consumer Sustainability Trends, Attitudes, and Behaviour 9
1.3 The Industry’s Sustainability Commitment 9

2. Sustainable Fashion Showcase 11

3. National and Industry Priorities 14

4. Circular Fashion 15

5. Digital Fashion 18

6. Policy Alignment and Partnership Building 21

7. Summary Observations 22

8. Conclusions 23

9. Recommendations 24

Annex 1 - List of UK Participants 26

Annex 1 - List of India Participants 27

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INNOVATE UK GLOBAL EXPERT MISSION

Welcome
Innovate UK launched the Global Expert Mission (GEM) programme in October 2017 to
help businesses become truly global enterprises through strategic international innovation
collaboration. Delivered by KTN, in partnership with the UK Science and Innovation Network,
the Department for International Trade and UK Research and Innovation’s overseas offices,
the Expert Missions provide an expert-led evidence base to strengthen Innovate UK’s global
investment strategy: how and where it should invest in creating UK business opportunities in
partnerships with key economies.

Each mission selects representatives from the UK’s business, The India Sustainable Fashion mission took place during
policy, and research community, with objectives to: a period of COVID-19 travel restrictions, and therefore
UK delegates met virtually with Indian fashion industry
1. Inform UK businesses and government representatives to meet the following aim:
The findings and opinions of experts on the topic of the mission
are made available to UK businesses and the government Assess the potential to build collaborations between
after the overseas visit. These inform UK businesses about Britain and India on innovations that will address
opportunities for innovation in the country and the UK environmental challenges, as well as socio-economically
Government to help UK businesses make the most of those benefit both nations.
opportunities.
Principal areas of focus for the mission included:
2. Build international collaborations
The expert insights will help inform how Innovate UK can 1. Digitisation to address sustainability: Automation and data
best help UK businesses find and exploit the opportunities for analytics have enabled a new breed of start-ups to achieve
innovation partnerships. The mission creates connections with agile made-to-order production, reduce overstock and make
key organisations and people that will deepen and widen the short, small-batch production cycles. Fashion is seeing the
collaboration with the partner country to benefit UK business. start of a seismic shift where products are “pulled” into the
market based on actual demand rather than “pushed” based
3. Showcase and share UK capabilities on best guesses and forecasts.
During the overseas visit, the delegation of experts will use
the opportunity to promote and showcase the UK’s innovation 2. Sustainability supply chain and end-of-life solutions:
strengths. India is now witnessing a materials revolution, with the
introduction of alternative materials and sustainable
substitutions adoption at scale, such as hemp and banana
fibres. The mission touched on new and disruptive
initiatives that businesses in both countries are adopting to
reduce landfill waste, including upcycling, textile recycling
programmes, and repurposing raw materials.

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 SUSTAINABLE FASHION IN INDIA

3. Inspiration from tradition: Fashion’s future is often created

by reinventing the past and finding fresh inspiration in
tradition. In India, a renewed appreciation of the centuries-
old, artisanal craft Kantha offers a new perspective on a more
modern approach to sustainability. The mission showcased
more traditional approaches already employed by small
and medium-sized enterprises, local artisans, and social
enterprises to produce high-quality, sustainable products
whilst supporting empowerment.

4. Policy: Mainstreaming the issue of sustainable fashion is the

first, and possibly, the toughest, task of policymaking. If there
are clear benefits, we will start holding dialogues on this issue
to better understand the contours of sustainable fashion.

The India virtual mission was the third sustainable fashion

Global Expert Mission that KTN, Innovate UK and the British
Fashion Council have organised. The first was to New York City1
in November 2019, and the second was to Paris in February
2020. The India virtual mission was comprised of a public
showcase of Indian sustainable fashion companies and UK
Government-business activities to support sustainable fashion,
followed by three closed-door roundtable sessions with UK
and Indian fashion delegates to discuss circularity, digital
technologies and government policy and partnership-building.

A full list of the UK and Indian participating organisations is

included in Annex 1.  

1
https://admin.ktn-uk.co.uk/app/uploads/2020/01/2020-US-Sustainable-Innovation-
in-Fashion-Expert-Mission-.pdf

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INNOVATE UK GLOBAL EXPERT MISSION

Executive Summary
The UK, in partnership with Italy, will be hosting the United Nations Climate Change Conference
(COP26) from 31 October to 12 November 2021 in Glasgow. At COP26, governments will come
together to agree on the climate actions to be taken to keep warming no higher than 1.5oC as
set in the Paris Agreement. An aim of the programming at COP26 is to recognise and celebrate
international research and collaboration as science, research, and innovation offers climate
solutions. With the UK being a global fashion hub, there is an opportunity to use the COP26
Summit as a platform to further galvanise the fashion industry to net-zero, especially as the
industry accounts for 4% of total global emissions (2.1 billion metric tonnes CO2) and needs
to reduce emissions by 1.1 billion metric tonnes CO2 by 2030 to be on course for the 1.5oC
commitment2.

KTN, in partnership with Innovate UK and the British Fashion Like the UK, the Indian fashion industry is dominated by a linear
Council (BFC), has run three Global Expert Missions (GEMs) growth production model, where virgin materials are used
exploring the sustainable fashion innovation landscape in to produce garments, which go to landfill or are incinerated
New York, Paris and India. The most recent mission to India at the end of life. This has given rise to overproduction and
aimed to gather learning about sustainable fashion businesses, consumption of low-cost apparel and textiles that do not reflect
innovations and the policy landscape for supporting the the environmental and social costs. However, there is growing
transition to a sustainable fashion system, and identify consumer and industry concern about the negative impact
opportunities for deepening and broadening collaboration of this model and the possibility that fashion could adhere to
between the UK and India to accelerate this transition. Given stronger sustainability principles.
that India is a key manufacturing location for British fashion
brands and a renowned technology hub, the mission focused There is a strong indication of an evolving community of
on how circularity and digitalisation can be developed to make sustainable fashion businesses, both small and established,
the fashion industry more sustainable. navigating a complex system. However, businesses need
support and financial resources to overcome the hurdles faced
Key Observations in mainstream adaptation and scaling. The primary driver for
As one of the world’s largest textile and garment markets, fashion innovation has been efficiency. To maintain and grow
valued at over US$ 100 billion, with three-quarters from India’s competitive edge as a material sourcing and production
domestic consumers and a quarter from exports,3,4 India has a hub, sustainability is often a secondary benefit rather than a
pivotal role to play if the global fashion industry is to achieve net- primary intention. The Indian Government’s textile and industrial
zero. India is a leading production base for many British brands, apparel strategy prioritises improvement in production
and a growing number are opening a retail presence to access processes and the skills development of the workforce.
the 600+ million Indian consumer market.5 Furthermore, Indian Demand for the adoption of sustainability practices by Indian
brands want to access the UK consumer market (which has the suppliers is primarily driven by international brands rather than
highest per capita spend on fashion in Europe) and access the domestic policies. However, there is a growing recognition that
UK’s global platform through designers presented at London Indian fashion companies need to deal with Indian consumer-
Fashion Week. generated garment waste, which currently results in landfill
waste and excess deadstock fabric. There are companies
realising untapped opportunities to deal with the waste issues.

2
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/fashion-on-climate
3
https://aepcindia.com/system/files/Annual%20T%20and%20A%20Industry%20Report-2021.pdf
4
https://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/IND/Year/2019/TradeFlow/EXPIMP/Partner/all/Product/50-63_TextCloth
5
https://oecd-development-matters.org/2019/05/07/look-east-instead-of-west-for-the-future-global-middle-class/

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 SUSTAINABLE FASHION IN INDIA

Conclusions
There appears to be enthusiasm, receptiveness and recognition
of the value in creating programmes and mechanisms for
activating collaboration between the UK and Indian fashion
industry in support of the sustainable fashion agenda.

Areas of mutual benefit include:

• Peer-sharing learnings and innovations of the processes,
business models, supply chains and technologies that, if
adopted and scaled, could accelerate the development of a
sustainable fashion system.
• Running joint multi-disciplinary research programmes
that explore sustainable transitions, for example, in the
development of circular fashion models.
• Providing public and private financing, investment and
partnerships to scale sustainable fashion innovations.
• Aligning sustainability methodology, standards and reporting
frameworks and schemes that are both mandated and
voluntary.
• Improving data and evidence to enable informed decision
making by the supply chain and customers.
• Ensuring trade agreements contain innovation chapters and
support sustainability principles.

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INNOVATE UK GLOBAL EXPERT MISSION

1. India’s Sustainable
Fashion Landscape
In 2019, the Indian textile and apparel market was worth over $100 billion, however this value
fell by 30% in 2020 due to Covid-19. The market is expected to recover and grow to reach
US$ 190 billion by 2025-26.6 The Indian textiles and apparel industry contributed 2% to GDP,
constituted 15% of export earnings and held 5% of the global trade in textiles and apparel in
2018-19.7 In 2019-20, the domestic India textile and apparel market was US$ 75 billion in size
and the export market was US$ 35 billion, with US$ 8.3 billion imported.8,9

After agriculture, the industry is the largest employer in the market. Reliance Brands Limited, part of Reliance Industries, a
country, employing over 45 million people directly and 60 US$190 billion conglomerate, launches and builds international
million people indirectly in ancillary sectors10. and domestic brand equity in the premium to luxury fashion
and lifestyle. As such, they have a large licensing portfolio of
India is a global manufacturing and technology hub. Therefore international brands.
as the fashion industry moves to increasingly utilise digital
technologies in production and consumption models, there is 1.1 Environmental Impact of Fashion
great potential and opportunities for synergy and integration The fashion industry primarily follows a linear production
between these industries. COVID-19 has caused significant model where the economic model relies on extracting natural
disruption to fashion supply chains, which has resulted in the resources, making clothes at low cost, and disposing of them
increased adoption of digital technologies in fashion. after a short period. This production model has come to be
described as fast fashion, and concern has grown for its impact
The country has a rich history of beautiful garments such as on people and the environment.
the sari, banarasi, patola, kanchiwaram, phulkari, and since
the economic liberation of the Indian economy in 1990, By 2030 global apparel consumption is projected to rise by 63%,
Indian designers have emerged with products that have been from 62 million tonnes today to 102 million tonnes — equivalent
successful on the world stage. India makes 95% of the world’s to more than 500 billion additional T-shirts.13 This will result in
handmade textiles11 and is the world’s second-largest exporter the two-fold problem of overconsumption of resources and
of textiles and clothing. Exports of cotton yarn, fabrics and waste generation.
handloom products from India have increased by 50% since
June 2019.12 It is estimated the global apparel industry accounts for 4% of
total carbon emissions14, and the fashion industry will emit 2.1
International fashion brands are not only locating production billion tonnes of CO2e by 2030. To be on course to meet the
operations in India for global markets, but to gain market access 1.5ºC target, emissions need to be no more than 1.1 billion
to India’s 600+ million middle-class consumers with disposable tonnes CO2e by 203015. This is partly because most clothes are
income. These international brands include British brands produced in China, India and Bangladesh, which are countries
wanting to build a retail presence to sell to the Indian domestic essentially powered by coal, the most polluting fossil fuel16.

6
https://www.ibef.org/industry/indian-textiles-and-apparel-industry-analysis-presentation
7
https://www.ibef.org/industry/indian-textiles-and-apparel-industry-analysis-presentation
8
https://aepcindia.com/system/files/Annual%20T%20and%20A%20Industry%20Report-2021.pdf
9
https://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/IND/Year/2019/TradeFlow/EXPIMP/Partner/all/Product/50-63_TextCloth
10
https://www.ibef.org/exports/apparel-industry-india.aspx
11
https://fashionunited.in/statistics/fashion-industry-statistics-india/
12
https://www.ibef.org/industry/indian-textiles-and-apparel-industry-analysis-presentation
13
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/1952/full-report.html
14
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/fashion-on-climate
15
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/fashion-on-climate
16
https://www.sustainyourstyle.org/old-environmental-impacts

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1.2 Consumer Sustainability Trends, Attitudes, interested 6% of total respondents.

and Behaviour • Most respondents (83%) were not aware of brands that
Between 2010 and 2018, Indians increased their spending on follow principles of sustainable fashion.
clothes by 181%17 due to: • Two-thirds (63%) of the entire respondent group believe
• economic growth; fashion should be responsibly produced. Others are unclear
• a growing middle class with increasing disposable income; or unconcerned.
• a large consumer demographic 18-30 years;
• a propensity to consume rather than save; In addition, the white paper includes 17 interviews with Indian
• shifting consumer behaviour from need-based purchasing to fashion business leaders, including nine brands that signed
aspiration-based purchasing. the SU.RE charter with IMG Reliance, making a commitment to
sustainability goals by 2025. These business leaders share their
The Voice of India magazine published a white paper on “India experiences and insights into their sustainability journey.
Sustainability in 2020”, exploring sustainability attitudes and
actions. The white paper presents the findings from the survey 1.3 The Industry’s Sustainability Commitment
of four respondent groups: class fashion consumers with The SU.RE (Sustainable Resolution) project19, showcased
limited environmental consciousness, fashion design students, by mission participant RISE, is the Indian apparel industry’s
millennials, and industry leaders.18 largest commitment to move towards sustainable fashion. It
was launched in 2019 by Union Minister for Textiles, Smt. Smriti
Findings of survey research included: Zubin Irani, along with the Clothing Manufacturers Association
• Almost half of the consumers surveyed (43%) are not aware of India (CMAI); United Nations in India and IMG Reliance,
of the term sustainable fashion; however, the majority are the organisers of Lakmé Fashion Week. Project SU.RE aims
curious and would like to learn more. to contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030,
• There is a high awareness of the term sustainable fashion especially SDG-12, which focuses on responsible consumption
amongst fashion and design students, (85%) of those and production.
surveyed.
• Most consumers surveyed (82%) do not consider fashion to The SU.RE project provides a framework to help the industry
be among the top three contributors to pollution. reduce its carbon emissions, increase resource efficiency,
• Only 18% were concerned with who made their clothes tackle waste and water management, and create positive social
when they bought them. impact to achieve long-term sustainability targets.
• Across segments, age groups and respondent type, a fifth
(19%) said information about working conditions would help The five-point Sustainable Resolution is as follows:
them make a responsible choice. 1. Develop a complete understanding of the environmental
• 77% of consumers surveyed said they prioritised their impact of the garments being produced by our brand.
fashion buying by decisions by brand name, while 80% said 2. Develop a sustainable sourcing policy for consistently
they looked for comfort. prioritising and utilising certified raw materials that have a
• Indian fashion consumers seem interested to adopt positive impact on the environment.
sustainable practices, with 45% indicating they would like to 3. Make the right decisions about how, where, and what we
adopt recyclable fashion, where materials like plastic or waste source across the value chain by selecting sustainable and
are recycled to make fabric for garments, shoes or bags. 49% renewable materials and processes and ensuring their
indicated they would like fashion garments made from natural traceability.
sources like coffee beans, bananas or wood pulp. 4. Communicate our sustainability initiatives effectively to
• Most survey respondents confessed to a disposable mindset consumers and media through our online and physical
when it came to old garments and fabrics – recycling or stores, product tags/labelling, social media, advertising
upcycling to make other useful things out of old clothes only campaigns and events.

17
https://wri-india.org/blog/circular-fashion-rethinking-way-forward-india’s-fashion-industry
18
https://thevoiceoffashion.com/sustainability/india-sustainability-report-/editors-letter-the-india-sustainability-report--3561
19
https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1582685

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5. Through these actions, shift a significant percentage of

our supply chain to a sustainable chain by the year 2025,
addressing critical global issues such as climate change,
contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and
building a world that is safe for future generations, as an
acceptance of a responsibility we all share.

Many Indian brands are now working to change the fast fashion
narrative, focusing on organic, fair-trade and vegan products.
They are exploring new and innovative ways of reusing products
or waste materials. For example, India is a hub for sustainable
material sourcing as it produces half of the world’s organic
cotton and is the largest recycler of polyethylene terephthalate
(PET) products. Furthermore, there are new fashion business
models in India emerging, such as garment rentals and
upcycling, as well as material innovation for a circular economy.
 

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2. Sustainable Fashion Showcase

The mission showcased Indian and UK fashion companies and Ananas Anam (UK)
entrepreneurs developing sustainable fashion solutions that are Ananas Anam is the maker of Piñatex, an innovative natural
reducing fashion’s environmental impacts by: textile made from waste pineapple leaf fibre. The leaves are
• Dematerialising through the adoption of digital technologies. the by-product of existing agriculture, and their use creates an
• Avoiding holding inventory by making clothes on-demand. additional income stream for farming communities. Piñatex
• Moving from mass production to mass customisation is a natural, sustainably sourced, cruelty-free material. From
production models. initial sampling to developing a viable supply chain, the Piñatex
• Reusing garments through a rental business model. journey is inspired by the principles of a circular economy and
• Developing processes and the supply chain for repairing, cradle-to-cradle values. The use of pineapple leaf fibre provides
recycling, and upcycling. the opportunity to build a scalable commercial industry for
• Sourcing natural fibres produced from regenerative developing farming communities, with minimal environmental
agricultural practices. impact. Ananas Anam is a Certified B Corporation.
• Developing new bio-degradable low impact environmental www.ananas-anam.com
materials.
• Enabling companies to assess and reduce carbon and Doodlage (India)
biodiversity impacts. Doodlage upcycles factory waste into limited edition collections
and recycles post-consumer waste into new fabrics to create
(In alphabetical order) season-less well-finished garments made for longevity.
Furthermore, any waste created is segregated and converted
11.11/eleven eleven (India) into accessories, soft furnishing products and paper to make
11.11/eleven eleven is based on the principle of the khadi their packaging and stationery products. All the pieces and
way. Khadi is a traditional homespun and hand-woven textile, fabrics are made with ethical production units, and packaging is
a national treasure of India. Khadi represents a way of making designed to be plastic-free.
fabric with a minimal negative impact on the environment. www.doodlage.in
11.11/eleven eleven represents a continuous quest for
mastery. It has consolidated its roots in the luxury space while Flyrobe (India)
emphasising creating links between farmers, weavers, natural Flyrobe is India’s largest on-demand fashion rental platform
dyeing, and block printing traditions. 11.11/eleven eleven’s the offering premium designer wear to both men and women.
khadi way principle works with seed-to-stitch narrative, which Flyrobe currently services 30+ cities in India via its website
traces the product’s origin from cotton to the final maker. Every and mobile apps and has offline stores in Delhi, Mumbai,
garment comes with a unique code, enabling the wearer to and Bangalore, with a user base of one million customers.
know all the hands behind the product. Informing Flyrobe’s strategy is the demand for e-commerce
www.11-11.us businesses that cater to minimalism and focus on sustainability,
acknowledging the fact that millennials particularly value
Abraham & Thakore (India) experiences. As a sustainability solution, millennials have
Abraham & Thakore is an Indian fashion and textiles brand already started pivoting towards the rental model as it reduces
known for developing contemporary expressions of traditional the negative impact on the environment and increases the shelf
Indian textile craft. A key focus of the brand has been life of garments. On the supply side, Flyrobe’s marketplace
working with small scale manufacturers with an emphasis inventory model allows designers (B2C) and users (C2C) to
on handcrafted products. Their practice is closely concerned make money by renting their designer outfits through Flyrobe.
with the role of identity in fashion, particularly in contemporary www.rentitbae.com
India. Abraham & Thakore collections are retailed in India and
overseas. Their designs have been acquired by the Victoria &
Albert Museum in London for their permanent archives. They
have been displayed in multiple exhibitions on contemporary
Indian design around the world.
www.abrahamandthakore.com

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INNOVATE UK GLOBAL EXPERT MISSION

InfiniChains (India) annually, including innerwear, thermals and sleepwear. They

InfiniChains is a Silicon Valley headquartered sustainable tech supply to more than 20 international leading garment brands
company. It has offices in the San Francisco Bay area, India and across the globe. Apart from manufacturing cotton, fibres,
Uganda. InfiniChains raised early-stage capital in 2018 from the fabrics, and apparel, Pratibha Syntex also engages in social
family house of Ajanta Pharma, and now has sizable revenue initiatives to generate employment for rural women.
from its enterprise customers and agriculture producers. www.pratibhasyntex.com
InfiniChains’ Credible software platform is a next-generation
green supply chain platform that enables companies to be Roksanda (UK)
more transparent. Six hundred thousand farmers also use the Roksanda is a luxury British fashion brand founded over ten
platform for organic compliance management, representing years ago to create clothes with a woman-centred design
about 35% of all organic exports from India. Sustainable aesthetic. The brand has built a platform to celebrate women’s
manufacturing companies like Welspun and ECOFashion use equality whilst seeking to challenge the perceptions of beauty.
the Credible supply chain platform. InfiniChains’s customer Roksanda has received multiple awards and nominations,
footprint is spread across India, the USA, the EU and Africa. The including Red Carpet Designer of the Year at the British Fashion
company is part of Fashion for Good’s first South Asia batch. Awards, Designer of the Year at the Elle Style Awards and
www.infinichains.com Business of the Year at Harper’s Bazaar UK’s Women of the Year
Awards. Roksanda has launched a global collaboration with
Pilio (UK) Lululemon. As an established brand Roksanda is committed
Pilio, a sustainability innovation company spun out of the to addressing their environmental impact and has begun its
University of Oxford in 2011, has developed a suite of energy, journey to understand, measure and take action to reduce their
carbon, and biodiversity analytical software tools and advisory impact directly and in collaboration with suppliers.
services for businesses to achieve net-zero and nature positive www.roksanda.com
supply chains. Pilio has been working with companies in
the creative industries for over ten years to develop their Samshék (India)
sustainability strategies, environmental accounting and support Samshék creates end-to-end women’s western clothing
them in implementing climate action plans. Pilio is working on by leveraging 3D fit technology to serve both regular and
a carbon and nature insetting scheme for fashion brands with a non-regular sizes. With more than 45,000 customisation
focus on cotton and wool supply chains. combinations of every design available on the website in digital
www.piliogroup.com form, Samshék can eliminate physical inventory. The cost of
unsold inventory alone in the US is $50 billion, according to
Pratibha Syntex (India) the Business of Fashion. Samshék is one of a few start-ups
A sustainability-oriented, vertically integrated manufacturer that operate with a mass-customised just-in-time digital supply
of knitted textile products since 1997, Pratibha aims to create chain. This fresh and disruptive manufacturing process can
organic relationships across the value chain. Pratibha connects streamline future production processes for the textile fashion
35,000 farmers, 10,000 employees and apparel brands from industry. Each item of clothing is produced on-demand; there
over 20 countries. Pratibha produces over 60 million garments is no need for overstocking like other mass-produced clothing
brands.
www.in.samshek.com

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Stylumia (India) global textile industry and is now making it an imperative

Stylumia is a deep-tech fashion intelligence start-up that goal through its 2030 Strategy: Climate+. Under the Climate+
provides the world’s most accurate and customer demand strategic direction, Textile Exchange will be the driving force
derived fashion forecast, artificial intelligence and machine for urgent climate action with a goal of 45% reduced CO2
learning-powered intelligent assortment planning, distribution emissions from textile fibre and material production by 2030.
localisation, inventory/price optimisation and the world’s first www.textileexchange.org
automated style generator which produces winning designs.
Stylumia’s mission is to reduce economic and ecological The Dematerialised (UK)
wastage in the fashion retail industry using technology, by The Dematerialised is a universal supply chain and
helping brands and retailers to buy less to sell more. marketspace for authenticated digital fashion. Powered by
www.stylumia.ai the LUKSO blockchain, it enables anybody with an internet
connection to access, experience and trade virtual goods.
Supply Compass (UK) All the virtual goods which are sold on the platform are NFTs
Founded in 2016, the mission of Supply Compass is to (non-fungible tokens). The Dematerialised business model
reimagine a new way of designing products and managing is based upon a traditional sales commission from each sale
production, into one that works not just for profit, but also on the platform. There is a B2C component and a C2C
for people and the planet. Supply Compass believes that component. The end consumer falls into three main user
to transform how goods are designed and produced, full groups: fashionistas, gamers and the crypto community.
digitalisation of supply chains is the only way forward, but that The business consumer (creator) also falls into three user
this will not be successful unless it is underpinned by strong groups: established brands, independent physical designers
supply chain relationships and is built in collaboration with and digital-first creators/artists.
suppliers and manufacturers, so it works for all parties. Supply www.thedematerialised.com
Compass founders spent two years in India researching and
visiting 300+ manufacturers and suppliers. Worn Again Technologies (UK)
www.supplycompass.com Worn Again Technologies was born over 16 years ago from a
vision to eradicate textile waste and a world where resources
Textile Exchange (Global) are kept in constant circulation. Worn Again Technologies has
Textile Exchange supports leadership in the sustainable fibre developed advanced recycling technology to recapture raw
and materials industry. The organisation develops, manages, materials from non-reusable products (textiles, PET bottles
and promotes a suite of leading industry standards, as well as and packaging). The mission of Worn Again Technologies is to
collecting and publishing vital industry data and insights that replace the use of virgin resources by recapturing raw materials
enable brands and retailers to measure, manage, and track from non-reusable products.
their use of preferred fibre and materials. With a membership www.wornagain.co.uk
that represents leading brands, retailers, and suppliers, Textile  
Exchange has, for years, been positively impacting climate
through accelerating the use of preferred fibres across the

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3. National and Industry Priorities

India’s national and industry priorities are to continue building a globally resilient and
competitive textile and apparel industry. The emphasis shared by Indian mission delegates
was for improving manufacturing efficiency, leveraging its technology expertise, strengthening
workforce skills and increasing material production (e.g. cotton, viscose, silk and polyesters).

The Indian Government has announced the following initiatives Supporting handloom weaving
and schemes to support the textile and apparel industry:20 • National Handloom Development Programme ($55.6 million)
and Integrated Processing Development Scheme ($7.2
Increasing foreign direct investment million), plus Weaver MUDRA Scheme to provide loans to
• Special scheme to boost exports by $31 billion, create 10 handloom weavers and weaver entrepreneurs.
million job opportunities and attract ~$12 billion foreign
investment. Improving fibre production
• India is a major global producer of natural fibres, including
Upgrading manufacturing technology cotton, wool and silk, and as such, there is a range of
• Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme ($109 schemes and incentives to support farmers.
million). • Provided government support for the building of a plastic
processing factory.
Providing training and skills development
• Scheme for Capacity Building in Textile Sector. Indian industry is investing in the net-zero energy transition. This
is evident through Reliance Industries, one of the world’s largest
Developing integrated textile parks petroleum businesses and owner of Reliance Brands, which is
• $106.6 million for 21 readymade garment manufacturing units investing US$ 10 billion in renewable energy infrastructure over
in seven states for the development and modernisation of the the next three years. Reliance will create four giga-factories to
Indian textile sector. manufacture solar modules to enable 100 gigawatts of solar
energy by 2030. They will build large-scale grid batteries to store
Incentivising manufacturing production electricity, collaborating with global leaders on the technology.
• $1.4 billion for incentivising man-made fibres and technical They plan to build and install electrolysers for separating green
textiles. hydrogen from water. Another part of their plan is a factory for
building fuel cells, which uses oxygen from air and hydrogen to
Advancing technical textiles generate electricity..21
• National Technical Textiles Mission ($211.8 million) – a four-
year programme which involves research, development and
innovation in fibres and application (including biodegradable
technical textiles); promotion and development of the market
to $50 billion by 2024; export promotion with a 10% year-on-
year growth until the mission ends; and support education,
training, and skills development.

20
https://www.ibef.org/industry/textiles.aspx
21
https://www.energyvoice.com/renewables-energy-transition/332575/fossil-fuels-giant-reliance-will-invest-10bn-in-indian-renewable-energy/

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4. Circular Fashion
Moving to Circularity participants discussed the potential for rebuilding a circular
There is a growing interest and ambition in the UK and India fashion system in rural areas with sustainability principles at
to move from a linear to a circular fashion system. However, the core. 11.11/eleven eleven shared their experience of the
one of the main challenges in moving to a circular fashion many small scale examples in rural India where the circular
system is the complexity of the industry’s supply chain. Mission fashion model includes growing, processing, making and
participants argued that the development of a circular fashion recycling, which connects to the supply chains of domestic and
system requires multi-disciplinary expertise and collaboration international fashion brands.
with industry, government and academia. The biggest barriers
holding back the mainstreaming of a circular system are Designing for Circularity
economic, governance, organisational and behavioural. The Ananas Anam, emphasised that in her experience circularity
current capitalist system is driving the linear fashion system needs to be included in their design process from the outset
– to change it will require new mechanisms and modes of and be part of the research and development process for
cooperation through the supply chain to enable innovation, creating new fibres and garments. Therefore, creators and
technology, and business models for the uptake of a circular designers can have a significant influence in determining the
system. Various companies during the mission showcased environmental impact of a garment. They need to think about
the adoption of circularity principles, for example, Doodlage’s the materials being used, the construction of the garment
material upcycling model and Flyrobe clothing rental model. to make disassembly easy, and the recycling streams to
However, for circularity to become the de facto model in the recover post-consumed garments. Professional and new
fashion industry, the economic benefits of participating need designers need to consider the full environmental and social
to be there for all stakeholders, from artisans to retailers to lifecycle of the garments they create, which requires training,
consumers. Mission participants talked about the importance tools, knowledge, and experimentation. To encourage and
of a supporting policy framework incentivising circularity to aid promote circular design, the Circular Design Challenge has
these new economic models. been launched for young fashion/accessory designers and
entrepreneurs to showcase and win a prize for their innovative
Building Understanding ideas and collections made by using materials from diverse
To create a circular fashion system, it is necessary to waste sources, including plastic. The Challenge has been
understand the supply chain and the consequence of different launched in collaboration with Fashion for Earth by R|Elan, UN
choices across the value chain. This involves undertaking Environment and Lakmé Fashion Week. It is India’s first and
lifecycle assessment studies using good quality data. largest sustainable fashion challenge in the fashion, textiles,
Choices made at the design stage will often determine the and apparel industry.
environmental impact of the garment; therefore, it is important
to understand what materials can and cannot be replaced. In Preventing Overproduction
addition to lifecycle analysis of environmental impacts, there is a The advantage of circular models is that they can prevent
growing body of work examining the social impacts across the overproduction, a major issue for the industry. A shift in the
value chain as being highlighted by the Centre for Sustainable economic model is needed to reward and incentivise practices
Fashion. Mission participants saw building a full understanding that do not result in overproduction. It should be achievable
of environmental and social impacts as critical for the fashion to prevent overproduction by deploying technology and
industry to transition to a truly sustainable industry. processes that enable the supply chain to be more efficient and
not hold excess inventory. For example, Supply Compass has
Rebuilding Circularity created a digital platform for creating efficiency through the
In India, there is a long tradition of a circular fashion model with manufacturing process. Stylumia has created an array of digital
upcycling and recycling. However, these circular models have technologies to manage assortment planning, distribution
broken down in recent decades with the adoption of industrial- localisation and inventory optimisation. Samshék has developed
scale manufacturing. After China, India is the second most 3D design technologies enabling a mass-customised just-in-
populated nation in the world at 1.3 billion, and the majority (900 time digital supply chain, which prevents overproduction by
million people) still live in rural areas. With labour, materials, manufacturing only what is ordered by customers.
infrastructure, and digital technology decentralised, the mission

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Recovering Materials in the fibre content of materials. The fashion industry would
A major challenge for the fashion industry in developing benefit from studying and learning from other industries about
circularity is recovering and reusing materials. There are how they are successfully recovering and reusing materials to
examples, such as Worn Again Technologies, that are produce goods and services.
developing processes using materials from other industries,
such as plastic bottles for the material input in textiles and Shifting to Consuming Less
apparel. However, as these industries recover these materials Circular fashion models hold promise for creating resource
for developing circularity in their own goods, there will not be efficiency, but they do not negate the importance of
sufficient material feedstock to meet the needs of the fashion reducing the volume of clothing being consumed. Changing
industry. Furthermore, using other industries’ waste materials consumption patterns will require consumer education and
does not address the fundamental problem that fashion making new patterns of consumption attractive such as clothing
garments are not being recovered at the end of life. rental models that are gaining traction in India.

In both the UK and India, a significant proportion of post- Engaging with the Consumer
consumed garments go to landfill. In Europe, only 1% of post Communicating and engaging fashion consumers on what
consumed garments are recovered and processed into a constitutes sustainable fashion is difficult. There is a lot
material that is used to produce new garments22. India is the of complexity, different terminology and varying answers
world’s second-largest receiver of post-consumer clothing. It depending on the context and a multiplicity of (emerging)
would help if governments could be clearer about producer standards. For example, terminology such as sustainable,
responsibility in the making and recycling of garments. As such, ethical, eco-friendly, circular, net-zero, carbon-neutral is widely
mission participants talked about the role of some standards used, with materials being described as organic, biodegradable,
and regulations to make sorting and processing post-consumer compostable, recyclable etc. For consumers, it has become
waste easier, such as labelling the fibre specification in the confusing to understand the key issues and to know how best
garments. Given that the supply chain is international, it will to support the transition to sustainable fashion.
be necessary to cooperate with governments to establish
standards and regulations. For fashion brands, the lack of clear language regarding
sustainability comes at a risk as companies might not be
Mission participants emphasised the pivotal role local adopting good environmental and social practices whilst
waste and recycling infrastructure plays in materials being overclaiming on their credentials, with consumers, peers and
successfully collected, sorted, and transported. The fashion regulators unable to check due to lack of transparency and
industry needs to work in partnership with waste management traceability in the supply chain. The lack of industry definitions
and logistic companies. Innovation of the material recovery for what is meant by eco-friendly, sustainable and regenerative,
technologies, processes, and business model is needed to which can result in misleading marketing, was discussed.
unlock and scale a circular production and consumption Furthermore, fashion companies do not necessarily provide
system. There are a growing number of entrepreneurs and consumers with much detailed data of what they are doing, e.g.
municipalities working around the world to tackle this material in terms of sourcing.
recovery and processing challenge, but most of the innovations
are at the demonstrator stage, and more research and Fashion brand delegates shared how their approach to
development is needed for these innovations to be in a sustainability has been not to claim they have all the answers,
position of being replicable or scalable. but rather to share with customers their sustainability journey.
Fashion brands such as Roksanda said they are noticing
Mission participants said significant investment is now consumer awareness is increasing, and therefore their
needed to create the infrastructure for collecting, sorting and expectation is that garments are responsibly produced.
processing recovered materials both in the UK and India.
However, the investment needs to be deployed in ways that The key to creating a successful circular fashion system is for
are appropriate to the local context as there is heterogeneity consumers wanting to purchase clothing made from recycled
in household recycling and waste management as well as fibres (i.e. demand) and consumers recycling garments at the

22
https://www.cbi.eu/market-information/apparel/recycled-fashion/market-potential

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end of life (i.e. supply). This involves educating consumers on

how sustainable fashion is created and making it desirable
for consumers to buy or rent garments constructed from
recycled materials. For a circular fashion system to scale,
the consumer is required to participate fully. Fashion has a
tradition of successfully marketing to consumers what they
want, so it should be possible to mainstream the desirability of
participating in a circular, rather than linear, fashion system.

Co-investing for Circularity

There is recognition that in the UK and India, public funding
will only go so far in helping the textile and apparel industry
transition to net-zero. There are presently many small and
experimental efforts to test and demonstrate the potential
of a circular fashion model, but it was suggested that taking
these promising efforts to scale will require engagement
and investment by large retailers to pilot and mainstream
(Indian and international brands). To create a thriving fashion
ecosystem, investment in circularity needs to happen both
in rural and urban areas. Each company will need to identify
the opportunities and requirements for their product line and
then work with their supply chain and sourcing areas to create
appropriate infrastructure and processes for developing a
circular model.

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5. Digital Fashion
India has been embracing digital technology for many years and appreciates the potential
of technology for creating efficiency and new processes. Major garment manufacturers use
mature technologies to track and trace production lines for efficiency.

Increasingly, mobile technology is being adopted to improve Digital technologies from automation technologies on
farming practices that produce natural fibres as well as to manufacturing assembly lines (e.g. Supply Compass) and
access markets. However, most Indian fashion brands still digital ordering to access thousands of handicraft makers will
use digital technology in a limited way – for example, only for enable customisation pattern cutting and stitching to make
marketing or production, rather than integrating it through garments customers want. Both innovations and applications
the whole business. The adoption of digital technologies to of technology will allow garment customisation to be scaled.
date is primarily driven by savings in time and money, with Furthermore, the influence of finishing technologies for
sustainability being a secondary benefit rather than of initial ensuring material recoverability, functionality and aesthetic can
perceived value. have a major impact on the overall sustainability of the garment
throughout the lifecycle.
Allowing Collaboration
Digital technologies enable different contributors to collaborate Producing Garments On-Demand
through the design and production process, such as that Digital technologies are enabling garments to be produced
developed by Samshék. However, there are potential intellectual on-demand to minimise wastage as customers can pre-order
property issues that need considering when a collaborative what they want, and consequently, the garment is made to
approach is being used. Digital technologies enable designs their request using 3D modelling technology as Samshék has
and samples to be created virtually without the need for developed. The advantage for fashion brands and suppliers is
physical versions, thus cutting waste. that they only manufacture what is ordered, greatly reducing
overproduction and holding of excess inventory and stock (e.g.
Harnessing Data Stylumia and Supply Compass). Within communication and
Huge amounts of data are held in the fashion supply chain, logistics technologies, customers receive their orders within a
but the data can be fragmented or exist only as physical short amount of time; however, customers still need to shift their
copies. The rapid digitalisation of data held in the fashion expectations from the immediacy of the traditional shopping
supply chain, as mission participant the University of Leeds experience. With the growing trend in online shopping, the
said, has the potential to be processed to improve efficiencies, move to on-demand production is ever more possible.
create products people want and derive new revenue streams.
Companies such as Supply Compass, Stylumia and InfiniChains Allowing Distributed Production
are demonstrating how data from within the fashion India has the world’s largest talent pool of handicraft and
supply chain can be used to create efficiency for improving traditional garment makers, dispersed across the whole country.
sustainability. Digital technology is opening market access to this talent pool,
as discussed by 11.11/eleven eleven and Abraham & Thakore.
Enabling Customisation
Digital technologies, such as those developed by Samshék, Renting Garments
allow customers to specify what they want from fabric, fit and A fashion business model that is gaining momentum is clothing
colours. This flexibility appeals to millennial consumers that rental, as illustrated by Flyrobe. According to Indian delegates,
are attracted to expressions of individuality versus uniformity. there is a growing interest and acceptance of renting garments
There is a lot of innovation, enabling customisation through rather than ownership. The rental model has been particularly
the supply chain, making it more efficient and cost-effective. successful for special occasion wear because these outfits

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Sustainable Fashion in India | 19

INNOVATE UK GLOBAL EXPERT MISSION

are worn infrequently, and a wedding (for example) might Although the internet allows many virtual worlds to exist
require several outfits over the course of the celebrations. The online, users cannot move between them while retaining their
companies attending the mission, which offer garment rentals, identities and assets. The development of a metaverse would
shared the importance of providing an online outfit selection address this problem by enabling disparate online worlds to
experience alongside going into the retail store to try the outfit become a single seamless entity. The metaverse does not yet
on for fit. Digital technologies are used by the company for exist, but it is anticipated with the explosion of innovation and
managing and processing the stock – it is used at every stage of investment in augmented reality technologies. This would open
the rental from selection to returns. new modes in the production and consumption of fashion.

Telling Stories In the context of the sustainable fashion agenda, delegates

Digital technologies such as QR codes enable lots of discussed how developing these virtual experiences and digital
information to be easily shared with the end consumer, telling technologies could enable dematerialisation in production
the story of each garment; who produced the garment, where it and consumption processes. This was illustrated by the UK
was sourced and the sustainability practices. company, The Dematerialised, whose innovation enables the
creation of virtual-only collections purchased with non-fungible
Enabling Transparency tokens (NFT), a unit of data stored on a digital ledger, called
One of the potentially powerful benefits of digital technologies a blockchain, that certifies a digital asset to be unique and
such as InfiniChains’ Credible software platform is the ability to therefore not interchangeable. NFTs are tracked on blockchain
trace a garment through the supply chain. Technologies such to provide owners with proof of ownership that is separate
as blockchain enable the chain of custody to be documented from copyright23. There is a growing market in NFTs across
and thus sustainability practices more easily checked. the creative industries, including fashion. For example, as The
Digital technology enables information about the social and Dematerialised showcased, the emergence of virtual clothing of
environmental properties of the garment to be transparent. virtual personas advancing a hybrid of our virtual and online life.
Brands will be able to share and evidence the sustainability of Therefore, NFTs could enable a dematerialisation of fashion.
the garment. As well as aiding the customer, brands can use People would only need virtual versions of clothing (e.g. social
this technology to run due diligence on suppliers. media avatars) and can create a customised wardrobe without
the need for physical products.
Emerging Innovation
There was a discussion in the mission’s digital technologies Training and Skills Development
roundtable about the emergence of new virtual experiences Delegates discussed the importance of training and skills
and the next iteration of the internet, known as the metaverse development of fashion students to understand how to use
or “mirror world”: a merging of the physical world with digital technology as they go into the workforce. Delegates from
digital. The metaverse includes videoconferencing, gaming, fashion and design schools talked about how the exploration
cryptocurrencies, email, augmented reality, virtual reality, social and application of digital technologies go into the curriculum.
media and live streaming. The technologies are already in early In addition, people already within the profession will need to
commercial products and constantly maturing as technological be exposed and trained so companies can take advantage
limitations are overcome. of the opportunities presented by digital technologies in the
supply chain.
Early commercial products relevant to fashion include: online
video game Fortnite, virtual reality design tools, social media
tools like SnapChat’s Lens Studio and augmented reality tools
that superimpose an interactive virtual world on a real one like a
street map.

23
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-fungible_token

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6. Policy Alignment
and Partnership Building
UK-India Free Trade Agreement Further, through the India-UK Year of Culture, British Council
In 2020-21, the UK was India’s fourteenth largest trading and RISE came together for Crafting Futures India with a
partner, accounting for US$ 8.7 billion in exports and US$ 6.7 focus on handlooms of Tripura, Northeast India. Designers
billion in imports. The Ministry of Textiles favours a deal for the Bethany Williams and Aratrik Dev Varman went through
UK-India free trade agreement that could boost the garments a residency in Northeast India to explore various clusters
sector. Under the proposed trade agreement, the Textile working on handloom textiles, with an aim to engage with the
Ministry expects more market access for the Indian textiles and weavers to develop new textiles and help them with livelihood
clothing sector to achieve its full potential. Mission delegates opportunities.
emphasised the potentially powerful and catalysing opportunity
for accelerating the transition to a sustainable fashion system International Fashion Showcase at London Fashion Week
by ensuring the India-UK free trade agreement is underpinned In collaboration with the British Fashion Council, RISE
by sustainability principles, which will result in transparency and organised a special sustainable fashion installation at the
traceability in the supply chain with strong environmental and International Fashion Showcase with five designers showcasing
social practices. one look, each inspired by the multi-faceted ethnic lifestyles of
India’s nomadic pastoral communities, bringing home the Best
Present Collaborations between the UK and India Country award.
The British Council and the Ministry of Textiles have a  
memorandum of understanding to advance shared priorities
and interests for developing a positive fashion ecosystem.

Crafting Futures Scheme

Crafting Futures is a global programme from the British Council
aiming for a sustainable future for craft by understanding
its value in our history, culture, and the world today. This
collaboration scheme enables Indian and UK partners to co-
develop and collaborate on projects exploring the following
questions:
• What are new ecosystems for craft?
• How can traditional skills, contemporary design and
enterprise come together to create new systems?
• How can craft be a route to women’s empowerment and
leadership?
• How can craft address global environmental challenges?
• How can craft tourism ensure craft is widely appreciated?
• What possibilities does digital technology bring to craft?

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INNOVATE UK GLOBAL EXPERT MISSION

7. Summary Observations
1. India is one of the world’s largest fashion producers and are driven by the need to improve efficiencies through
consumers. Therefore, supporting the development of the supply chain and grow market access rather than to
a sustainable production and consumption system is meet the societal challenges of climate change and the
paramount for the global fashion industry to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.
net-zero ambitions. 8. Like the UK, there is interest in building circular fashion
2. Many global fashion brands have production operations in production and consumption models, but there are
India. A growing number are expanding their retail presence significant infrastructure challenges in collecting and
in India, given the large size of India’s domestic consumer processing post-consumer garments. In both countries,
market. In addition, Indian fashion brands are exporting and there is a shortage of investment to address these
building their presence in global fashion markets. challenges.
3. In recent decades, India has followed the conventional 9. There is an emergence of game-changing digital and
linear mass production model, which, like elsewhere in the computer technologies being deployed into the fashion
world, has given rise to fast fashion where clothes can be system from machine learning (AI), robotics, blockchain,
produced and consumed inexpensively, but the full external non-fungible tokens (NFTs), augmented reality, computer
environmental and social costs are not internalised, and visualisation and e-commerce.
therefore as a model, it is not sustainable and needs to 10. International brands are increasingly expecting and
be fixed. requiring Indian suppliers to adhere to environmental and
4. India is a globally-leading manufacturing and technology social standards. These are a combination of schemes
hub with advanced production capabilities and a growing set by the international brand or international standards
entrepreneurial scene which places India in a strong position bodies (e.g. recycled textile standard or organic cotton).
to work with the global fashion supply chain to create a more Furthermore, as a growing number of international brands
sustainable fashion system. sign-up to the UN Fashion Charter and set their corporate
5. There are exciting Indian fashion companies and sustainability goals, many of these brands require carbon,
entrepreneurs developing sustainable fashion solutions that environmental and social reporting from their suppliers.
reduce fashion’s environmental impacts by: - As in the UK, there is a growing awareness and desire
- Dematerialising through the adoption of digital from Indian consumers and fashion professionals to
technologies. adopt sustainable fashion practices, but there is a lot of
- Avoiding holding inventory by making clothes on-demand. confusion, misleading information and terminology.
- Moving from mass production to mass customisation - The Free Trade Agreement currently being negotiated
production models. between the UK and India provides an opportunity for
- Reusing garments through a rental business model. ensuring mutual market access for the trade of goods and
- Developing processes and the supply chain for repairing, services that adheres to and increases the demand for
recycling, and upcycling. better sustainability standards.
- Sourcing natural fibres produced from regenerative  
agricultural practices.
- Developing new bio-degradable low impact
environmental materials.
6. India is starting to platform and support sustainable fashion
innovation and commitment through the SU.RE (Sustainable
Resolution) project launched in 2019 by the Ministry of
Textiles, along with the Clothing Manufacturers Association
of India (CMAI); United Nations in India; and IMG Reliance,
the organisers of Lakmé Fashion Week.
7. In the mainstream, innovations in the Indian fashion industry

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 SUSTAINABLE FASHION IN INDIA

8. Conclusions
• There are many points of intersection and synergy between • Sustainability literacy: There is a need to improve literacy
the UK and India that should be deepened and broadened to and understanding of the issues in fashion to create the
advance the sustainable fashion agenda, including: demand and supply for a sustainable fashion system.
- Promote, nurture and invest in sustainable fashion
innovation. • Technology potential: Deployment of digital and computer
- Encourage collaboration through the fashion supply chain technologies potentially can support the development and
to accelerate net-zero. acceleration of a sustainable fashion system, but only if the
- Exchange and partnership of science and research to sustainability outcome parameters and incentives are put in
advance sustainable fashion. place by brands, suppliers, and governments; otherwise, the
- Align domestic policy and international agreements risk is technology only perpetuates the current unsustainable
to incentivise and support producers and consumers fashion model of overproduction and consumption.
to adopt sustainable fashion through, for example,
minimise standards, tax schemes, environmental • New fashion models: The combined agendas of
reporting and labelling. sustainability, livelihoods, consumer demand and technology
innovation opens the potential for a fashion system that
• Sustainable fashion in India: Understanding, practices could look radically different in the next decade. For
and innovation for developing a sustainable fashion system example, a fashion model that gives textile makers in rural
are at a nascent stage in India. However, there is growing India market access to global and domestic customers to
recognition that to be a preferred fashion market for provide them with custom-demand garments that adhere
production and consumption requires the development of a to strong sustainability practices that are circular, traceable
fashion system embedding sustainability. This effort greatly and transparent enabled with digital technologies. Fashion
benefits from international collaboration and investment from cuts across each of the Sustainable Development Goals.
global fashion businesses, and a supportive international Therefore it is an industry that can exemplify how taking a
and domestic policy landscape. holistic approach can improve lives and the ecosystems
society depends on.
• Measuring environmental and social impacts: Achieving
standardised methodologies and approaches for measuring
environmental impacts, especially in the supply chain, is  
very difficult. Development of these, alongside the training
and tools, will be critical to ensure the efforts to reduce the
sustainability impacts are evidence-based and allow for
transparency and traceability so that good practices can be
rewarded and incentivised for wider adoption.

• Scaling innovation: Many sustainable fashion innovations

are being developed by small and large companies, but
for these to be scaled across the industry supply chain
requires collaboration and investment from large global
and Indian brands as well as a supportive government policy
and partnership framework. Full-scale piloting and testing
of innovation in India could make a significant contribution
to helping unlock the net-zero transition for the global
fashion industry.

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9. Recommendations
The UK should leverage and amplify its leadership in these bodies and explore what a joint research programme
sustainable fashion could look like. For example, given India is a major hub for post-
This is the third Global Expert Mission funded by Innovate UK consumer garments coming from the UK, research examining
and delivered by KTN focused on sustainable fashion organised circular fashion models and recycled materials would be
in partnership with the UK Science and Innovation Network, an area of mutual interest where collaboration could unlock
the Department for International Trade and UK Research and new production and consumption pathways. The research
Innovation’s overseas offices. It is clear from these missions programme should connect with on-the-ground practitioners
that the UK is a global leader in the sustainable fashion and have an element of demand and challenge-led research.
arena, demonstrated by the UK government’s prioritisation In addition, research of the full value of a sustainable fashion
of fashion as a strategic industry and the UK’s competitive system in terms of environmental, social, cultural, and economic
advantage due to its research excellence, British brands’ should be developed. Delegates emphasised the importance
net-zero ambitions, and innovation community consisting of of taking a holistic approach to sustainability in fashion as
both fashion and/or sustainability-focused organisations and otherwise analysis and consequent strategy will not unlock the
non-profit organisations (e.g. Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Wrap full benefits for everyone in society.
and Cotton Connect). The UK should aim to deepen and build
strategic partnerships across fashion markets visited during Build international standardisation and datasets
these missions, adding weight to the existing efforts such as the Developing robust, sustainable fashion models requires good
UN Sustainable Fashion Charter and the Fashion Pact. A strong information to better enable fashion businesses to successfully
alliance could be formed between the UK and India to unlock transition to net-zero as otherwise unintended consequences
the potential of both countries to boost sustainable fashion, can occur, which could make the situation worse, not better.
which would yield mutually beneficial economic returns whilst With its expertise in sustainability impact analysis, the UK is
meeting the 1.5ºC and SDG commitments. very well positioned to help create international standards and
datasets. It would benefit the industry to develop best practice
Ensure the UK-India free trade agreement supports examples and benchmark indices to enable performance
sustainability practices comparison. There are several international efforts to develop
The free trade agreement opens the opportunity for sustainable fashion standards and datasets. The UK and Indian
supporting trade between the two nations that adhere to governments, in combination with the supporting industry
strong sustainability principles. Goods imported and exported associations, could give resources to these efforts.
between the nations should be transparent about their
sustainability practices, adhering to strong minimum standards Support for digital innovation for sustainable fashion
with incentivisation for the adoption of good practice. For The fashion industry is radically changing with the rise of digital
example, India’s electricity system is one of the most polluting technologies. Both countries have world-leading technology
in the world, with coal most dominant in the energy mix at 76%, sectors, which could be leveraged to drive digital innovation
resulting in garments manufactured in India holding a relatively for accelerating the development of sustainable fashion
high emissions tag compared to the UK, with coal contributing intentionally rather than as a coincidence. Digital technologies,
to only 2% of electricity generation24,25. The carbon cost needs for example, hold significant potential for creating transparency
to be reflected in the price of importing garments. in the fashion supply chain, avoiding waste through the garment
lifecycle, and creating distributed production models.
Create a collaborative research programme
The UK is globally recognised for its research excellence in Support for circularity fashion models
environmental sustainability broadly and within sustainable Developing circular fashion models would make a significant
fashion specifically. Over the years, there have been very fruitful contribution to drastically reducing the environmental
research collaborations between Indian research institutions impacts of fashion, as well as creating distributed livelihood
and individual researchers. However, this mission did not scope opportunities for collecting and processing post-consumer
the research landscape, so it would be beneficial to identify clothing. Hundreds of thousands of tonnes of post-consumer

24
https://www.carbonbrief.org/the-carbon-brief-profile-india
25
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/end-to-coal-power-brought-forward-to-october-2024

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clothing are recovered26. However, even when fibres are

converted to new materials, knowledge of these materials is
low. The development of circular fashion models is an area
of shared interest between the UK and India. Therefore a
definite priority area for developing a collaborative programme
focused on recycling infrastructure, advances in material
processing, alignment on material content labelling and
sorting technologies. It would be beneficial to develop supply
chain partnerships (e.g. government, fashion companies and
logistic companies). Furthermore, it would be beneficial for
the fashion industry to gather learning on how other industries
are developing circular models and if there are learnings and
approaches that would be applicable for adoption.

Develop public-private financing schemes

There was broad recognition from the expert delegates that the
challenges for unlocking a sustainable fashion system cannot
be achieved with public funding alone as this funding primarily
supports early-stage innovation and piloting. There is a lot of
small-scale experimentation, but also a need for pilots to take
sustainable innovation to the next scale requiring engagement
and investment from large international and fashion businesses,
as well as public financing to support innovation that is targeted
towards meeting the societal challenges of climate action,
biodiversity loss and social equity etc. In addition, as outlined
above, India has a high carbon emission energy system, so there
is a need for public-private financing schemes to incentivise
investment in renewable energy infrastructure and accelerate
India’s shift from fossil fuel energy, especially coal. The UK
government overseas aid programmes should ensure assistance
for sustainable energy investments is targeted to greening the
energy infrastructure used by the fashion supply chain.

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Sustainable Fashion in India | 25

INNOVATE UK GLOBAL EXPERT MISSION

Annex 1
List of UK Participants

Arts Humanities Research Council (AHRC)

Ananas Anam

ASOS

British Fashion Council

Centre for Sustainable Fashion, London College of Fashion

Centre for Circular Design, Chelsea College of Arts

The Dematerialised

Department for International Trade

Innovate UK

KTN

Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)

Pilio

Roksanda

Supply Compass

Textile Exchange

University of Leeds

Worn Again

26 | Sustainable Fashion in India

 SUSTAINABLE FASHION IN INDIA

List of India Participants

11.11/eleven eleven

Abraham & Thakore

Aditiya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited

Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI)

Doodlage

Flyrobe/Rent It Bae

InfiniChains

Pratibha Syntex

Reliance Retail

RISE

Samshék

Stylumia

Sustainable Fashion in India | 27