A conference on textile recycling will take place at IIT Delhi, February 9, 2023. It is being organised by academia and industry from India and Sweden and will bring together an eminent group of representatives from the textile and clothing industry, including Indian and European fashion brands and recyclers, government and ministry delegations, and leading academicians to brainstorm and concretize clear pathways for valorizing the Europe-India cross-border recycling value chain with a particular focus on mechanical recycling. Wazir Advisors is the knowledge partner for the conference.

The event will have dedicated panel discussions on exploring the textile recycling business potential and product market opportunities, technological breakthroughs and advances in industry standards, highlight the necessary intermediations required from governmental and regulatory bodies, and finally weaving out a radical pathway that needs to be adopted for developing such a circular recycling ecosystem.

Globally less than one per cent of the fiber produced for clothing is being recycled back into new fibers or for other high-value applications. The largest part of Europe’s recycled textile waste is mainly down-cycled for low-value uses. On the other hand, India is transforming into a major powerhouse of recycling, and is one of the largest recipients of global post-consumer textiles.

Panipat in Haryana, India is the largest hub for mechanical recycling of textiles with over 900 recycling units and four million informal workers processing textile waste.