ReFiber unveils white paper to scale textile circular economy across India
MUMBAI: India’s textile waste problem is getting stitched into a new solution. ReFiber, powered by OTerRi, has unveiled its ‘Mumbai Textile Circular Economy Demonstration Project’ white paper at Bharat Tex 2026, outlining a technology-led model that it believes can help build a nationwide circular textile ecosystem.
Presented at the Eco Stitch Sustainability and Circularity Hub, an initiative of the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI) and the Global Alliance for Textile Sustainability Council (GATS), the report documents one of India’s first city-scale demonstrations of a technology-enabled post-consumer textile collection and recycling system.
The white paper is based on the Mumbai Textile Circular Economy Demonstration Project, launched on World Environment Day 2026 at the World Trade Center Mumbai. Implemented with partners including Tisser, CMAI, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), World Trade Center Mumbai and Lions International, the initiative integrated doorstep collection, digital traceability, women-led upcycling enterprises and responsible recycling into a single operating model.
According to the findings, the pilot recovered 2.7 tonnes of post-consumer textiles on World Environment Day, generating 275 collection orders from 257 citizens through 15 laundry partners operating across 28 branches.
The project demonstrated that existing urban service networks can be leveraged to build an efficient first-mile collection system without requiring entirely new logistics infrastructure.
The report also identifies six major barriers slowing textile circularity in India: the absence of source segregation, limited incentives for consumers, lack of traceability, fragmented collection infrastructure, weak integration with recyclers and upcyclers, and inadequate mechanisms to measure environmental impact.
ReFiber argues that addressing these challenges through technology and data-driven systems can create environmental, social and economic benefits while strengthening women-led upcycling businesses, self-help groups and local enterprises.
“India’s textile heritage is deeply woven into our culture, economy and identity. At ReFiber, we aim to transform post-consumer textile waste into a resource by building a transparent, traceable and scalable circular economy ecosystem. The Navi Mumbai pilot has demonstrated how technology, citizen participation and collaboration can create environmental, social and economic value, paving the way for a circular textile future for Maharashtra and India,” ReFiber chairman Shrikant Bhangdiya said.
Highlighting the initiative’s long-term ambitions, OTerRi chief operating officer Manoj Wanvari said, “The Mumbai Textile Circular Economy Demonstration Project is a significant milestone in our journey to build a scalable textile circularity model through technology, data-led insights and ecosystem collaboration. We plan to take this model forward by building city-wide, state-level and eventually national circular textile infrastructure powered by digital traceability, organised collection networks and inclusive stakeholder participation.”
The white paper was presented to senior representatives from the Ministry of Textiles, the Textiles Committee, UNIDO, the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office in India, CMAI, GATS and state governments, underscoring growing institutional interest in circular economy solutions for the textile sector.
Building on the Mumbai pilot, ReFiber plans to expand the model across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region before scaling it throughout Maharashtra and eventually nationwide. With India generating millions of tonnes of textile waste each year, the initiative hopes its combination of organised collection, digital traceability and collaborative partnerships can help transform discarded textiles into valuable resources while supporting the country’s broader sustainability goals. // write news
