Circular Fashion
Circular Economy for Textiles & Apparel
Transforming Textile Value Chains from Linear to Circular
The textile and apparel industry sits at the intersection of materials, manufacturing, livelihoods, consumption and global trade.
Its transition to circularity requires interventions across the entire value chain—from fibre and material selection to design, manufacturing, use, collection, reuse and recycling. ICCE works with businesses, manufacturing clusters, MSMEs, government, academic institutions and international partners to help build the knowledge and systems required for this transition.
Our work focuses on three interconnected areas.
Our Work
Skilling & Capacity Building
Circular textiles require capabilities at every level of the organisation. ICCE has developed and delivered sector-specific capacity-building programmes covering senior leadership, middle management, manufacturing teams and textile clusters. Our initiative included development of circular-economy curriculum and training programmes designed for different levels of the organisation and its manufacturing ecosystem. ICCE has also taken circular-economy learning into textile clusters, translating concepts such as material efficiency, waste reduction, recycling and circular business models into practical industrial applications. This work forms part of ICCE’s wider focus on preparing India’s textile workforce and MSMEs for the circular transition.
Circular Design Strategies
Textile circularity begins long before a garment reaches the consumer. Material choices, product construction, durability, recyclability and production systems determine whether value can ultimately be retained within the economy. Our approach connects product-level interventions with the wider systems required to enable circular textile value chains. ICCE’s work explores circular strategies across the textile lifecycle, including:
material efficiency • circular product design • durability • reuse • repair • recycled materials • textile-to-textile recycling • industrial symbiosis • traceability • circular business models
Regulations & Compliance
Global textile markets are undergoing significant regulatory transformation. Requirements relating to ecodesign, product information, traceability, recycled materials, Extended Producer Responsibility and Digital Product Passports are increasingly relevant to Indian manufacturers and exporters. ICCE works to translate these developments into practical understanding for Indian industry, particularly MSMEs. Our work around the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) and Digital Product Passports examines industry readiness, implementation challenges and the capacity-building required for businesses to respond to changing market requirements.
Building a Circular Textile Ecosystem
ICCE’s textile work is progressively moving from individual interventions towards ecosystem transformation—connecting industry, clusters, policy, skills, innovation and circular business models. This thinking also underpins Bharat SUTRA, ICCE’s initiative for building collaborative pathways for sustainability and circularity across India’s textile value chain.
Materials → Design → Manufacturing → Use → Collection → Reuse → Recycling → Materials
Our objective is to help close this loop.
ICCE's work
Key Industry Action
- Strategic Investment in Sustainability – Manufacturers must proactively fund and adopt sustainable innovations, aligning with brand partners to drive environmental progress and improve long-term ROI.
- Supplier Empowerment and Innovation – Brands should directly support suppliers through investment, pilot projects, and guaranteed volumes, fostering stronger collaboration and accelerating circular practices.
- Transparent and Traceable Supply Chains – Building connected, traceable supply networks is essential to ensure accountability, drive systemic change, and meet collective environmental goals.
- Sustainable Material Sourcing – The industry must prioritize materials with lower GHG emissions and environmental impact, shifting focus from price to performance and circularity to drive long-term sustainability.
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Industry Best Practices
Global Initiatives
Policies in India:
India’s textile sector is at the forefront of the circular economy revolution, driven by forward-thinking policies and innovative initiatives. By prioritizing sustainability and embracing circularity, the industry is not only mitigating environmental impact but also fostering economic growth and social development to build a resilient and environmentally conscious future.