The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) has partnered with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) to introduce the Improving Transparency for Sustainable Business (ITSB) programme in India, set to launch on 10th September. Supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the initiative aims to strengthen sustainability practices and transparency across South Asia’s textile and apparel industry, enhancing its long-term resilience, profitability and global competitiveness.
The India programme will act as a multi-stakeholder platform, bringing together businesses, industry bodies, worker associations, regulators, investors and data users. It will build capacity for impact reporting on issues such as climate change, circularity, waste, biodiversity, and diversity and inclusion. It will also enhance transparency in areas including employment, health and safety, and tax-related practices.
Through the initiative, reporting organisations will gain access to tools and training to improve ESG disclosures, while investors will benefit from more consistent sustainability data. Worker associations are expected to see improvements in transparency on employment practices, health and safety standards, and inclusion. Regulators and policymakers will also have access to more standardised data to support evidence-based governance.
GRI and CITI confirmed that the first phase of the programme will focus on selected textile clusters across India, driving engagement and capacity-building at a local level. The aim is to embed sustainability and transparency as a strategic advantage for the Indian textile and apparel sector in the global marketplace.
Rakesh Mehra, Chairman of CITI, said the programme represented a timely step for the industry. He noted that India’s textile and apparel sector was both an economic powerhouse and a symbol of cultural heritage, and stressed that with global markets demanding more responsible and transparent practices, ITSB would help enterprises of all sizes align with international standards. He added that the initiative would build resilience and position India as a global leader in sustainable textiles.
Dr Aditi Haldar, Director – South Asia at GRI, explained that GRI provided a global framework focused on the economic, environmental and social impacts of businesses. She said the ITSB would allow the organisation to learn from India’s best practices and share them globally, while also helping Indian companies, regulators and investors to operationalise impact reporting, creating benefits for all stakeholders.
