Environmental and sustainability requirements are becoming an increasingly important part of apparel export compliance and buyer sourcing standards. The focus is shifting from individual factories to the entire apparel supply chain, from fibre and raw materials to processing and finished garments. Buyers increasingly want greater visibility into how products are made, the resources used and the environmental claims attached to them.
This puts vertically integrated manufacturers in a strong position. Control across fibre, yarn, fabric, processing and garmenting gives them greater traceability across the product lifecycle and greater control over sustainability at multiple stages of production, helping them meet broader compliance requirements.
Apparel Resources spoke to three vertically integrated manufacturers to understand how they are responding to this shift and embedding sustainability across their operations and supply chains.
For Sakthi Infra Tex, this shift means a greater focus on sustainable fabrics, cleaner processes and better use of resources.
“One of our key focus areas is sustainable fabrics, and we work with several customers in Europe and the UK to develop new sustainable options,” said Sunil Kumar Nayak, GM, Sakthi Infra Tex.
The company uses eco-friendly dyes, processes and finishes, while recycling and reusing almost 98% of the water used in production.
The company, which caters to markets across Europe, the UK, North America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, the Middle East, Russia and South America, is also strengthening its renewable energy efforts. Sakthi Infra Tex has invested in windmills and, more recently, in a solar park. Its manufacturing facilities now generate their own electricity, which is supplied to the grid and cross-subsidised.
Texport Industries is taking a more structured approach to decarbonisation, with near-term science-based targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). It has committed to reducing its absolute Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2032 and Scope 3 emissions by 35% by 2034.
The company operates 13 manufacturing facilities in India, with two of them, in Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh, and Haveri district, Karnataka, having received LEED Gold certification. Around 30% of Texport’s total energy requirement comes from renewable sources, mainly solar, while its factories follow zero-discharge practices.
“We work with clients focused entirely on sustainable fabrics and produce 100% organic products, recycled polyester and recycled cotton. We also work with buyers whose stores are moving towards 100% sustainable product offerings,” mentioned Ganesh KR, VP Sales, Texport Industries.
Texport primarily serves US clients, while also having a presence in Europe and Japan. The company produces around 2.5 million pieces a month and is currently setting up a high-end outerwear unit designed to be fully self-sustaining.
Likewise, sustainability is becoming an integral part of operations at GuruLaxmi Group.
“On the raw material side, we are moving towards greater circularity and the use of renewable and organic materials. We started with organic cotton and are now moving towards regenerative agriculture and Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) fabrics. Dyeing is particularly water-intensive, which is why we continue to invest in machinery that can reduce water use. We also have an in-house ETP,” says Vikram Kumar, GM, Exports, GuruLaxmi Group.
GuruLaxmi Group is also investing in machinery to reduce water consumption in dyeing and operates an in-house ETP.
The company has a monthly fabric production capacity of 350 tonnes, yarn production capacity of 1,700 tonnes, garment production capacity of 300,000 pieces and ginning capacity of 1,500 tonnes.
Manufacturers are also strengthening their sustainability credentials through certifications and industry standards increasingly demanded by global buyers, including the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP), Higg Index, Walt Disney Facilities and Merchandise Authorization (FAMA), BSCI, ISO 9001:2000, Sedex, International Compliance Standard (ICS), amfori BSCI, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, WRAP and GOTS, among others.
The challenge ahead is no longer simply to become more sustainable, but to make that progress measurable, traceable and commercially viable.
