India is now poised to become one of the most important recycling hubs of the world. In the recent years, large-scale infrastructural set-up for sorting, processing, and recycling textiles has received attention. Additionally, with the positive policy intervention from the government, textile recyclers and sorters are now investing in modern technologies and exploring new business models to reshape this industry. This opens up opportunities for developing novel industrial value chains and ecosystems for valorising textile waste inter-continentally. 

This white paper serves a strategic insight document for all stakeholders associated with the quadruple helix of Indian textile recycling ecosystem, that is textile recycling sector, textile value chain players, governmental and financial institutions, academia, and special interest groups to vision the key strategic intervention areas and develop guidelines on future road mapping for designing a flourishing textile recycling ecosystem in India. 

We have addressed 4 dimensions for scaling textile recycling ecosystems and its underlying value chains, in terms of value chain optimization, supply-market strategic alignment, designing ecosystem sustainability and mobilizing external support to create a level playing field for value chain actors. 13 strategic intervention areas (SIAs) are identified where actions are required. To sum up:

• Value chain optimization calls for advancing existing technologies and building multi-technology flexible platforms to valorise diverse waste fractions. While legitimacy-building tools via certifications, standards and accreditations are crucial for brand image, of equal importance is supply network design for increasing effectiveness.
• Strategic alignment in textile recycling value chains for matching supply and demands, calls for improving market, customer and supply chain orientation, for enhancing value opportunities. While improved data generation and visibility will drive such market and business intelligence potential, it is of tantamount importance to create balanced recipe of standardization and “out-of-box” innovation and creativity.
• Lifecycle thinking and brand leadership should drive the textile recycling ecosystem forward towards profitability, scale and sustainability. A systemic perspective is crucial underpinned by radically new services and collaborations to bridge the value chain gaps in the ecosystem.  Triple-bottom line sustainability in textile recycling is essential to mitigate unintended consequence of recycling and achieve net-zero.
• Mobilizing multi-stakeholder partnership through incentivization and circular financing from government, financial and public institutions will create more formal organization of the textile recycling ecosystem. Orchestration is crucial to create knowledge-based ecosystems with shared learning.