Tirupur garment exporters are investing in sustainability. For example, Tirupur-based Sulochana Cotton Spinning Mills makes garments made out of recycled PET bottles. Twelve recycled PET bottles are used to make a single T-shirt. The waste PET bottles are processed into fiber, which at the end is converted to yarn that is used for garmenting and knitting. The company is in the process of adopting a technology that gives an assurance to its overseas buyers about the yarn, whether it is recycled or not. It also lets them trace the raw materials and process involved in manufacturing. A process will help in tracing the entire supply chain, right from collecting bottles to recycled fabric yarn, through blockchain. Syndicate Impex has launched knitwear collections made from fiber using recycled PET bottles and textile fabrics. Syndicate plans to buy back the garments it has sold and recycle them and so ensure the T-shirts do not go to the landfills.

Apart from individual companies that are taking greener initiatives, Tirupur as a cluster has invested in 1,600 MW of wind and solar energy, recycling waste water in processing units, and has zero liquid discharge systems.

As shoppers around the world demand sustainable product ranges, suppliers are seeking out possible ways to meet the demands of buyers.