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Sustainability & Recycling

Alwaleed Philanthropies ‘Global’, Circular Apparel Innovation Factory (CAIF), Enviu Partner To Scale Circular Textile Waste Management Across India

• By  Textile Excellence
• October 30, 2024

The CTL program aspires to achieve a balance between improving the textile and apparel industry’s environmental footprint while delivering social impact.

Alwaleed Philanthropies “Global” has partnered with Circular Apparel Innovation Factory (CAIF), an Intellecap initiative, and Enviu, a leading venture-building studio, in pioneering a groundbreaking approach to textile waste management in India. With an estimated 92 million tons of textile waste generated globally each year, the Circular Textile Waste Management (CTWM) program, led by Enviu and CAIF, backed by Alwaleed Philanthropies ‘Global” and other key partners, aims to create sustainable solutions that address environmental challenges while empowering communities across the country.

Last week, CAIF and Enviu were delighted to host Alwaleed Philanthropies’ team in Bengaluru for an insightful visit to experience the impact of the `Closing the Loop on Textiles Waste’ (CTL) program. The visit covered an in-person tour of the Textile Recovery Facility (TRF), a hub for aggregating, sorting, and selling textile waste in Bengaluru, recently established by CAIF with support from Hasiru Dala, the ground implementation partner.

The team also explored the collaborative 'skills-as-a-service' model with Sambhav Foundation and Twirl Store (an upcycler), focused on unlocking circular job opportunities for waste pickers by building their skills and creating market linkages.

Enviu's venture ReTex's work was showcased with a visit to a hotel from where ReTex collects uniforms and linen waste in collaboration with Krishna, a waste entrepreneur under the CTL program, who manages the local Dry Waste Collection Centre (DWCC). The field visit ended with a tour of the DWCC to understand how ReTex is adding value to the collected textile waste.

A live virtual tour of the Kerala TRF and Thrift Store and interactions with waste workers offered a comprehensive view of the impactful work on the ground. During the visit, Reem Mallawi, Executive Manager for Global Initiatives, Alwaleed Philanthropies “Global,” said: "Transforming textile waste into opportunity goes beyond sustainability; it reclaims value, empowers lives, and fosters a circular economy where every thread matters. This project builds ventures that participate in the Circular Textile Waste Management (CTWM) initiative, creating lasting impact through scalable business models while accelerating two ventures within this framework. Falling under the pillar of Supporting a Healthier Environment, we concentrate on creating environmentally conscious communities, enhancing resource management, and promoting clean energy. Together, we can weave a future that honours both our planet and its people, fostering a cleaner and greener world for everyone."

A dynamic partnership driving change

This partnership is set to redefine textile waste management in the textile industry. CAIF, an Intellecap initiative focuses on ecosystem and capacity building, replicating the Circular Textiles Waste Management (CTWM) model across India by establishing hyper local textile waste recovery facilities powered by waste pickers. Simultaneously, Enviu leads the creation of innovative business models that transform post-consumer textile waste into high-quality, commercially viable products. These initiatives not only foster circularity but also create fair employment opportunities, underscoring our commitment to a sustainable and equitable future.

Empowering communities and scaling across India

CAIF, through its ecosystem and capacity building approach, is currently replicating the CTWM model across the country by establishing a network of hyper local textile waste recovery facilities powered by waste pickers. They have successfully implemented the CTWM model in four cities and twelve towns across Kerala and the National Capital Region (NCR) in partnership with Alwaleed Philanthropies “Global”.

This expansion has been achieved in close partnership with grassroots organisations; Green Worms in Kerala and Saahas Zero Waste in NCR. Together, they have diverted 270,000 kilograms of post-consumer textile waste, directly involving 281 waste workers in operations and providing training to 350 more, 96% of whom are women.

“For us, intent is prime. We are conceptualising and building the CTL program with waste picker communities in mind, who, despite their contributions to waste management, contend with intergenerational poverty. We are extremely thankful to Alwaleed Philanthropies for their support,” said Venkat Kotamaraju, Partner & Director, Circular Apparel Innovation Factory (CAIF), Intellecap.

Innovating for the future

Enviu's systemic approach to building circular business ventures leverages its expertise in crafting innovative models that tackle key challenges throughout the textile value chain. With Alwaleed Philanthropies’ support, they have integrated rigorous analysis and ideation sprints to develop scalable ventures that have the potential to reshape the textile industry and create jobs and income streams for the waste pickers.

Notably, Enviu’s current ventures have diverted 990,000 kgs of waste, transforming them into innovative products. The Good Felt and ReTex, exemplify this impact. The Good Felt repurposes post-consumer textile waste into high-quality felt, used in fashion accessories, acoustic panels, and packaging. While ReTex focuses on repurposing end-of-life hotel linens, extending the life cycle of textiles that would otherwise end up in landfills.

“We designed the Closing-the-Loop program with a systemic approach to drive change across the textile supply chain. Alwaleed Philanthropies' support has been instrumental in turning our vision into reality. Together, we are addressing the environmental challenges and building an equitable future for people. We are creating dignified work for waste pickers, offering fair opportunities to thrive while solving urgent problems for the planet," said Gigi Mathews, Regional Director of Partnerships at Enviu.

The continued efforts to build the CTL program by CAIF and Enviu, backed by Alwaleed Philanthropies, hold the potential to serve as a blueprint for others in the industry to follow, demonstrating how environmental responsibility and social impact can go hand in hand.

Alwaleed Philanthropies

Over four decades, Alwaleed Philanthropies has supported and spent more than US$ 4.4 billion on social welfare and initiated more than 1000 projects in over 190 countries and reached more than 1 billion beneficiaries around the world, regardless of gender, race, or religion. Managed by 10 Saudi women, Alwaleed Philanthropies collaborates with a range of philanthropic, governmental, and nongovernmental organizations to combat poverty, empower women and youth, develop communities, provide disaster relief, and create cultural understanding through education. It seeks to build bridges for a more compassionate, tolerant, and accepting the world.

Circular Apparel Innovation Factory (CAIF):

Circular Apparel Innovation Factory (CAIF), an Intellecap initiative, in collaboration with Anchor Partners, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail ltd. and The DOEN Foundation, is an industry-led and industry-facing platform born with a singular purpose of helping build a planet and people positive textiles and apparel industry. CAIF’s thinking and work focuses on building ecosystems and capabilities that help decarbonise the industry, get to zero-leakage of textiles waste into the environment, stop leakage of single-use plastics into the environment and securing a thriving future for the millions of workers employed across the textiles and apparel value chain through creation of green and circular jobs at scale.

CAIF is designing and shaping work in the key global south economies incl. South Asia, SE Asia and East Africa, which play a critical role in the complex global value chain.

Enviu

With an estimated 92 million tons of textile waste generated globally each year, the Circular Textile Waste Management (CTWM) program, led by Alwaleed Philanthropies ‘Global” aims to create sustainable solutions that address environmental challenges while empowering communities across the country