The textiles ministry, for the first time, will be providing a platform to startups led by women to showcase circular products – which are largely based on textile waste – pre or post-consumption.
As part of the International Women’s Day celebration, the ministry of textiles is organising a week-long celebratory programme at Handloom Haat, Janpath, New Delhi.
The ministry of textiles is organising a week-long celebratory programme as part of the International Women’s Day celebration, at Handloom Haat, Janpath, New Delhi.
“As the consumers especially in developed markets are becoming more and more discerning and conscious of their carbon footprint and the environmental impact as an industry, we would also have to gear up,” textiles secretary Rachna Shah said.
There was also an observation from another textile ministry official that there has been an international movement towards a circular economy and lifestyle and that circularity in textiles is also at the forefront, especially with the EU and US putting up new regulations.
“Most of our export obligations are covered by circularity. We find that many women-led startups have ventured into schemes where they take post-consumer waste and try and convert it into new products so waste gets back into production cycle and we retain the value of the product for a longer time,” said the official.
The ministry, based on this new trend, is looking at startups led by women and giving them an opportunity to showcase their products through the exhibition, the official added.
“This is the first time that the ministry is venturing into giving a platform for circular products which are largely based on textile waste – pre or post-consumer,” said the official.
Women handloom weavers, craft persons, entrepreneurs and designers will put up 75 stalls and many of these people will be master craftspersons, national awardees and women-founded or led organisations.
The aim of textile circularity is to shift from take-make-dispose linear value chain into a circular system where value is retained for a longer period. By including women at the centre, circularity in fashion underlines a major gender narrative.
“To honour and motivate such change makers across the value chain, special focus is on circular strategies, processes and end products that go beyond the traditional linear model and focus on extending the life of the product,” an official statement said.
“Invitees are women-founded/led organisations who are focused on reducing waste in the value stream by employing different circular strategies like recycle, repair, reuse/remanufacture, rental and resale,” it added.
