Re-START Alliance has launched its first flagship project in India, aiming to accelerate sustainable textiles, circular practices, and responsible manufacturing across the value chain.
the Re-START Alliance launches its first flagship project, Cluster Collective. The four-year programme will be led and implemented by founding partner IDH and aims to realize the economic potential of textile-to-textile (T2T) recycling in India.
It will do this by scaling critical infrastructure – particularly advanced sorting and recycling technology – while also formalizing labor and fostering stronger collaboration across the supply chain. Using a cluster-based approach that has already been adopted in other sectors, the initiative will bring key stakeholders together around industrial hubs, enabling clusters to benefit from shared infrastructure, investment opportunities and scale.
Specifically, the programme will prioritize efficient feedstock flows, expanding localized recycling, strengthening policy alignment and building shared infrastructure for waste collection, sorting and aggregation. Initially focusing on the Ludhiana and Indhore clusters and with plans to expand to two more clusters eventually, it will also be designed to be socially inclusive and aligned with climate targets from the outset.
India generates approximately 7.8 million tonnes of textile waste annually and is one of the top global contributors to textile waste. Unlocking value from this waste has been noted as a significant economic opportunity, particularly in light of local and international regulatory initiatives that will increase demand for waste that meets compliance standards.
Additionally, the programme will bring together three core components; a collaborative, jurisdiction-based model that creates long-term value for all supply chain stakeholders; a blended finance technical assistance (TA) fund, managed by Navaka Social Business Fund, that plans to deploy €13 million in grants, concessional loans and patient capital to build critical infrastructure, integrate traceability technologies and strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems; and deep market integration, designed to create market demand and linkages early on through Letters of Interest (LOIs) from brands and recyclers, co-developing circular materials and specifications and setting up offtake agreements.
Jagjeet Singh Kandal, Country Director from IDH commented:
“Circular textiles have significant economic potential in India. However, one of the biggest challenges to overcome is that India’s textile ecosystem is fragmented, which has led to a lack of coordination and unrealized potential. That’s why we are launching the Cluster Collective programme, which aims to focus on organizing the textile waste ecosystem through a cluster-based model, in a way that is socially inclusive and aligned with climate targets.
“Cluster approaches are already proven and widely used in other sectors. By focusing on existing textile hubs that are already processing and producing, this approach will connect aggregators, recyclers and manufacturers in a coordinated and structured manner and in a way that creates long-term value for all stakeholders. As a result, clusters will be able to benefit from shared infrastructure, shared investment opportunities and market linkages to accelerate scale. Moreover, those sourcing in the region will benefit from improved traceability, access to a fully connected supply chain and access to collective demand for recycled textiles.”
Re-START is a textile recovery alliance convened by Laudes Foundation and with founding partners Canopy, Fashion For Good and IDH. The alliance is focused on creating the enabling conditions to scale textile recycling, with an initial focus on India.
While Re-START has to date focused on convening and connecting India’s textile recycling ecosystem to reduce duplication efforts and fragmentation, Cluster Collective is the alliance’s first official flagship project. The programme will support Re-START in achieving its goal of bringing 1 million tonnes of additional recycled fibres back into textile supply chains. The alliance is set to launch more projects over the next 12 months, through its founding partners.
To date, partners of the Cluster Collective Programme include the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in India under the EU – India Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy Initiative.