Leaving behind four other big sustainable efforts by China Water Risk, DyeCOO, Levis Strauss & Co., and SWAR, shortlisted for an award, Pratibha Syntex has won the coveted ‘Global Leadership Award in Sustainable Apparel (GLASA) 2015’, presented at a ceremony in Stockholm recently. Pratibha was selected from a total of 50 entries, and a shortlist of 5. The company won this award for its holistic approach to water management in textile manufacturing. The GLASA was launched in 2013 to inspire bold and courageous leadership in the apparel sector and to mobilize key stakeholders around promising ideas or practices that can significantly increase the sustainability performance of the apparel industry.
“We are honoured to receive the GLASA Award. However, we acknowledge that much more needs to be done. There is an urgent need for manufacturers in the textile industry to develop impactful strategies in material innovation, in synergy with environmental consciousness,” says Shreyaskar Chaudhary, MD of the company. Michael Schragger, Chair, GLASA Award says, “Pratibha’s water improvements are even more impressive and inspirational given they are being achieved during a time when the Indian apparel industry is growing rapidly and is very thirsty.”
Pratibha implemented improvements in irrigation infrastructure at its cotton farms, coupled with intensive training to farmers in waterefficient farming techniques. The company’s technology team developed the ‘Allure’ range of fabrics, an award-winning product innovation, which saves water by 85% and energy by 35%. Pratibha increased its use of mélange fabrics, which passes through a single wash without dyeing. The company also implemented the ‘Ready for Dyeing’ (RFD) production technique, which consumes onethird of water as compared with conventional dyeing.
