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Textile Waste Upcycling

Waste to value and economic opportunities for communities

textile waste sorting
tailoring skill training workshops
marketing upcycled products

 20

Women trained

200+

Kgs waste upcycled 

$1600+

Value created

Background

​The textile industry is a significant global polluter, generating roughly 100 million tonnes of waste annually. Much of this waste is either landfilled or incinerated causing severe harm to the environment and local communities. Apart from the manufacturing processes contaminating waterways and land, the industry is notorious for exploitative labour practices. Well-known brands from the Global North outsource production to the Global South. The nations of the Global South are where natural resources are depleted, waterways polluted and staggering amounts of waste generated.

Objective

The textile waste upcycling programme at Zero Waste Ladakh aims to create value out of waste by empowering local communities through skill workshops on upcycling, providing them free access to sewing equipment and finding opportunities for marketing their products.

Impact

Our programme has been a positive change in the community, especially for women. In 2022, over 100 hrs of skill training was conducted for 20 women in Ladakh. Together, they  created upcycled products from 200 kgs of textile waste. Their products were sold at local handicraft markets and generated an income of 1600 USD for them.

Activities

The skill workshops include 8 weeks of tailoring training, learning about various fabric compositions and how to repair and maintain sewing machines. The participants have access to sewing machines for a year after the workshop to create products out of waste. During that time we continue to provide them guidance on products and help them find a fair market for selling their products.

The Way Forward

We plan to conduct skill training for a new batch of women and engage them with us on an ongoing basis for upcycling textile waste. We hope to see a cultural shift where waste is seen as a resource to create social and economic value.

References

  1. Wealth in waste: India's potential to bring textile waste back into the supply chain, https://reports.fashionforgood.com/report/sorting-for-circularity-india-wealth-in-waste/

  2. The stealth export of waste plastic clothes to Kenya, https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/CM-Trashion-online-reports-layout.pdf

  3. Textile waste hotspots: Analysis of waste arising in the textiles life cycle, https://www.wrap.ngo/sites/default/files/2024-04/Textiles%20Waste%20Hotspots%20Report.pdf

  4. Cruelty is out of fashion: An overview of the fashion industry's policies on wild animal products, https://www.worldanimalprotection.org.au/siteassets/documents/reports/cruelty-is-out-of-fashion-report-2022.pdf

  5. Human Rights in the fashion industry: Advancing working conditions and fair wages through collaboration and blockchain technology, https://www.concordia.ca/content/dam/artsci/lsrc/SaCCUgradPosters/HRFashion.pdf

  6. Out of the shadows: A spotlight on exploitation in the fashion industry, Human Rights in the Fashion Industry: Advancing Working Conditions and Fair Wages Through Collaboration and Blockchain Technology

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