International purchasers of Indian textiles for clothing and home goods need adherence to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) framework. Tamil Nadu’s clusters of textile and apparel producers are preparing to meet these demands.
“Individual brands and buyers are asking for specific compliances such as use of recycled cotton, green production facilities, waste water recycling, etc. As of now, almost all brands want to have a segment of their products under the ESG compliance,” says K.M. Subramanian, president of Tiruppur Exporters’ Association.
These needs can currently be satisfied by Tiruppur’s larger clothing producers. Those who lack the required infrastructure will need to invest in order to receive orders.
Executive Director of Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (Texprocil), Siddhartha Rajagopal, claims that individual buyers collaborate with their suppliers to achieve sustainable objectives. These are now being connected by several nations to their trade policies. To accommodate these needs, Indian suppliers will have to charge more.
According to him, the Council has started an initiative to track cotton, and several textile companies have joined.
Confederation of Indian Textile Industry Secretary General Chandrima Chatterjee stated that the organisation is seeking partnerships with international organisations on two fronts: compliance/reporting the compliance and green funding.
The Association is aiming to establish partnerships with international organisations so that its member units can receive professional advice and develop the necessary skills to comply with the ESG standards. The Association recently hosted a workshop on sustainable sourcing and ESG in cooperation with Innovation Centre Denmark, the Confederation of Danish Industries India office, and the lifestyle and design cluster Denmark.
