Govt rejects portrayal of India as dumping ground for textile waste
The Indian government has rejected international media claims portraying the country as a "dumping ground" for Western textile waste. Officials highlighted that 90% of managed textile waste is domestic and the recycling ecosystem generates ₹22,000 crore in annual economic value
New Delhi: The government defended India’s textile recycling ecosystem against what it termed “misleading” international media portrayals, saying the country has one of the world’s largest textile recovery and recycling networks supported by long-established reuse and repurposing systems, the Ministry of Textiles said on Thursday.
The government said that recent foreign media reports focusing on clusters such as Panipat selectively highlighted environmental and occupational concerns while ignoring the sector’s progress in sustainability, regulation and technology adoption.
“Broad characterisation of India’s textile sector as environmentally negligent or structurally exploitative is misleading and not representative of ongoing regulatory strengthening and sustainability-focused interventions,” the ministry said.
According to the government, India generates around 7,073 kilo tonnes of textile waste annually. Citing the “Mapping of Textile Waste Value Chain in India 2026” study, it said nearly 97 per cent of pre-consumer textile waste generated during manufacturing is recycled.
Moreover, the government has rejected claims that India primarily acts as a dumping ground for Western fast-fashion waste, stating that over 90 per cent of the nearly 7.8 million tonnes of textile waste managed annually originates domestically, while imported waste accounts for only around 7 per cent.
Referring to a Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) report, the ministry stated that the textile waste ecosystem generates an estimated economic value of around Rs 22,000 crore annually.
In addition, the government cited a study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, based on data from the Panipat cluster, which found textile recycling reduces up to 40 per cent of environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel depletion compared to virgin fibre production.
While acknowledging concerns related to post-consumer waste management, informal units and worker safety, the government said that the industry is steadily moving towards greater formalisation, cleaner technologies and stronger environmental compliance.
It reiterated that textile recycling units operate under established environmental and labour laws, while regulatory agencies, including the National Green Tribunal (NGT), continue enforcement actions against non-compliant units.
