India’s textile and apparel industry must treat sustainability as a strategic opportunity rather than a mere compliance requirement if it is to strengthen its position globally, Union Textiles Ministry Additional Secretary Rohit Kansal said on Thursday.
Speaking at a webinar jointly organised by the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) and Swaniti Initiative on the Industry Transition Readiness Index for Decarbonisation of the Textile Sector, Kansal said sustainability should be viewed as a “strategic differentiator” capable of enhancing the sector’s international competitiveness.
He noted that existing sustainability initiatives by major companies and textile clusters—such as those in Tirupur, Surat and Panipat—demonstrated the industry’s growing commitment to sustainability and circularity. With MSMEs forming the bulk of the sector, he stressed the importance of accelerating the shift to clean energy, improving resource efficiency and investing in skill development as part of broader decarbonisation efforts. Kansal emphasised that there could be “no green transition without adequately skilled manpower to lead the transition”.
As Chair of the Union Textiles Ministry’s ESG Task Force, he added that the government would support textile and apparel MSMEs in accessing finance to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels, stating that “no one should get left behind” in the sustainability journey.
CITI Chairman Ashwin Chandran said reinforcing sustainability efforts would help futureproof India’s textile and apparel sector, noting that aligning with the country’s climate goals represented “both a responsibility and an opportunity”. India aims to reach Net Zero emissions by 2070.
Chandran added that CITI would work closely with industry stakeholders on the textile decarbonisation index, which is intended to help companies identify areas for improving production practices in line with industry best standards and act as a platform for peer-to-peer learning.
Swaniti CEO Rwitwika Bhattacharya highlighted that India had been setting an example in the renewable energy domain.
The push to enhance India’s profile as a sustainable sourcing destination has gained urgency ahead of the potential free trade agreement with the European Union, where sustainability—spanning carbon emissions, workplace human rights and supply-chain transparency—remains a central priority.
