A delegation of various Danish brands explored possibilities of sourcing sustainable textile products from India.
The visit kicked off by bringing together Danish companies and Indian suppliers to discuss challenges within ESG and circularity. The delegation will visit suppliers and industry stakeholders in Panipat and New Delhi before traveling on to Coimbatore and Tirupur.
The delegation also took part in a day-long workshop on barriers to sustainable sourcing and Environmental Social Governance (ESG) which was organised by Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) in collaboration with Innovation Centre Denmark, Confederation of Danish Industries India office and the lifestyle and design cluster Denmark.
Prajakta Verma Joint Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Søren N Kannik – Marquardsen, Minister Counselleor, Embassy of Denmark, Marie Busck, Head of CSR and Sustainability, Danish Fashion and Textiles, T Rajkumar, Chairman, CITI, Dr. S Karthieyan, Deputy Executive Director, CII, Eshika Gombar, Head of Partnerships, Good Business Lab, Chandrima Chatterjee, Secretary General, CITI discussed various aspects at the ESG awareness session.
Marie Busck, Head of CSR and Sustainability, Danish Fashion and Textiles delivered a detailed presentation on the future legislations impacting the textile and Fashion Industry like the EU textile strategy launched in 2022 where it is mandated that by 2030 all textile products in the EU would be free from hazardous chemicals, durable, recyclable, and to a large extent be made from recycled fibres.
T Rajkumar, Chairman, CITI said that various global initiatives like the upcoming EU legislation, initiatives for developing Best Available Technology (BAT) which is a reference document in line with the EU BAT, and UNIDO initiatives on Green Technology, highlight the growing relevance of steering technological innovation in this area.
Experts deliberated on the 6 priority areas for sustainability for the Indian textile sector – materials and traceability, climate, chemicals, sustainability measurement, innovation and circularity and engaging consumers.
