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The global textile and apparel industry is a massive market, estimated at over $1.5 trillion. For decades, China has been the dominant player, but rising labor costs and geopolitical tensions are prompting many brands to look for alternative sourcing destinations. India, with its rich history in textiles, diverse raw material availability, and a large pool of skilled labor, is emerging as a strong contender to take the lead. Robert Antoshak, Partner, Gherzi Textile Organisation says, “India is a textile powerhouse with abundant raw materials, a skilled workforce, strong spinning, weaving capacity, diverse product range, competitive costs, government support, and a well-integrated supply chain."
Sectoral strengths
India's textile industry has strengths across the entire value chain.
Fibre: India is the world's largest producer of cotton and jute, and the second-largest producer of silk. It also has a growing presence in man-made fibres. As per the Ministry of Textiles, India's cotton production in the 2022-23 season was estimated at 34.34 million bales.
Yarn: India has a large spinning capacity, producing a variety of yarns for domestic and export markets. This gives it a competitive edge.
Fabrics: India produces a wide range of fabrics, from handloom to modern woven and knitted fabrics. The industry is known for its diverse designs and high-quality craftsmanship.
Apparel: The apparel sector caters to both domestic and international markets, from mass-produced garments to high-end fashion. It has a large pool of skilled tailors and garment workers. In FY23, apparel exports were $16 billion.
Positive government initiatives
The government has actively promoted the textile industry through various initiatives, such as the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme and Mega Investment Textiles Parks (MITRA). The PLI scheme offers financial incentives to manufacturers for increasing production, while MITRA parks provide state-of-the-art infrastructure and support facilities to attract investment.
"The government's focus on infrastructure development and ease of doing business has created a favorable environment for textile manufacturers," says Sanjay Jain, President of the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI). "The PLI scheme and MITRA parks are game-changers that will help us compete with China and Bangladesh."
The government is also investing in training programs to enhance textile workers skill. The recent Economic Survey has highlighted the need for technological advancements and skill development to transform India into a global textile powerhouse. It highlighted challenges like limited FDI in the sector and a reliance on imported machinery. The Survey includes recommendations for addressing these challenges, such as attracting more FDI, promoting R&D, and supporting the modernization of existing units.
Diverse mix of raw materials
India is one of the world's largest producers of cotton, silk, and man-made fibers. This gives manufacturers a competitive advantage in terms of cost and quality. India is self-sufficient in most raw materials, which reduces our dependence on imports. The cost advantage allows India to offer high-quality products to customers.
Also, textile manufacturing capabilities have grown significantly in recent years, with investments in modern technology. The government is encouraging the adoption of sustainable manufacturing practices to reduce the industry's environmental footprint.
Despite its strengths, the Indian textile industry faces several challenges, including infrastructure bottlenecks, a fragmented industry structure, and competition from other low-cost countries. The government is working to address these challenges through various initiatives, such as improving connectivity, promoting consolidation, and providing export incentives.
However, India has the potential to become a dominant player in the global textile market. Ashish Jain, Dy Director General FIEO “The textile industry stands at a crossroads, with potential to become a leading global player. However, realizing this potential requires a concerted effort to overcome existing challenges and seize opportunities. As industry leaders call for a shift in mindset and strategy, the future of India's textile sector is promising, provided stakeholders are willing to act decisively and collaboratively. The journey to becoming a textile powerhouse is underway, and the world is watching.”
Green Story has partnered with Northumbria University's Impact+ Program to introduce a hybrid course on sustainability communication in India. Designed for marketing and ESG professionals in fashion and textiles, the program blends in-person workshops with virtual sessions to tackle evolving sustainability challenges.
Following the success of their webinar, Communicating Sustainability: Crafting Transparent, Compliant Messaging for a Competitive Edge, this initiative aims to refine sustainability messaging for brands navigating global regulations.
The course is led by sustainability communication experts Alana James and Anne Peirson-Smith, who bring extensive industry and academic expertise. Their guidance will help participants develop effective strategies, ensure compliance with frameworks like ESPR and CBAM, and craft transparent, compelling narratives that meet growing consumer and regulatory demands.
With sustainability transparency becoming a business imperative, this program offers hands-on learning tailored to India’s fashion sector. Attendees will gain insights into best practices, regulatory landscapes, and stakeholder engagement strategies.
Launching in March 2025, the course is designed for marketing leaders, ESG executives, and sustainability advocates seeking to elevate their impact. It provides a crucial opportunity to stay ahead in an industry increasingly shaped by ethical and environmental considerations.
The apparel and textile MSME sector plays a crucial role in India's economy, contributing significantly to employment and exports. The industry is projected to grow at a 10 per cent CAGR, reaching $350 billion by 2030, with exports estimated at $100 billion. However, rising competition, fast-fashion demands, and logistics costs are major challenges.
A survey by Borzo, a global same-day delivery company, across 15+ cities, highlights key industry trends. It found that 78.5 per cent of MSMEs sell apparel, 31 per cent focus on fabrics, and 7 per cent on home textiles. Logistics issues affect 40.5 per cent of businesses, while 32.5 per cent struggle with fast-fashion trends. Skilled labor shortages impact 30.5 per cent, and 23 per cent face rising operational costs.
Most MSMEs (70.5 per cent) operate on a B2C model, while 19.5 per cent balance B2C and B2B. The festive season boosts sales, with 36 per cent reporting a 20-30 per cent rise in orders and 24 per cent seeing over a 50 per cent increase. Logistics remains a critical concern, with 63.5 per cent citing high delivery costs as the biggest challenge, followed by delays (49 per cent) and limited delivery options (20 per cent). Same-day delivery is essential for 81 per cent of businesses, and 58 per cent prefer a 30-60-minute delivery window.
Sustainable packaging adoption is growing, with 70 per cent of MSMEs using eco-friendly materials. However, high costs remain a concern, driven by expensive raw materials (47 per cent) and processing costs (19 per cent). Looking ahead, 59.5 per cent expect sustainable fashion costs to decline, while 40.5 per cent are less optimistic.
Alina Kisina, CEO of Borzo, emphasized the need for improved logistics, cost efficiency, and sustainability to maintain competitiveness. The survey underscores the urgency for MSMEs to adapt swiftly to evolving market demands.
GHCL Textiles, a leading manufacturer of premium yarn and fabrics, is set to exhibit its latest innovations at Bharat Tex 2025 from February 14-17 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The company will display its diverse product range at Stall E19, Hall 1F, reinforcing its commitment to sustainability, advanced technology, and market excellence.
Legacy of excellence and sustainable growth
With a strong 95-year legacy, GHCL Textiles has established itself as a leader in the spinning industry. The company operates two state-of-the-art manufacturing units in Tamil Nadu, with a production capacity of 44,000 MTPA. Focused on cutting-edge technology and sustainable business practices, GHCL serves both domestic and international markets with high-quality yarns, including synthetic fibre, double yarn, open-end, and cotton yarn in counts ranging from Ne 24s to 120s. The company specializes in premium yarn varieties such as Giza, Supima, and Australian cotton, catering to evolving industry demands.
GHCL Textiles aligns with the Indian government’s vision for a robust textile ecosystem. Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji inaugurated the first edition of Bharat Tex last year, emphasizing the 5F approach - Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign, to strengthen India’s global position. GHCL supports this vision by integrating sustainable processes, investing in infrastructure, and ensuring quality-driven production to meet global standards.
Participation at Bharat Tex 2025
GHCL Textiles sees Bharat Tex 2025 as a key opportunity to connect with domestic and international buyers, industry veterans, and policymakers. Balakrishnan R, CEO of GHCL Textiles, stated, “We are excited to participate in Bharat Tex 2025, India’s largest global textile event. Our focus on innovation and sustainability, backed by integrity and reliability, ensures the highest customer satisfaction. The event will be a great platform to network, explore new market trends, and showcase our commitment to the future of textiles.”
Bharat Tex 2025 will feature over 5,000 exhibitors, 20,000+ exhibits, and 70 sessions covering eco-friendly practices, technical textiles, and ethical sourcing. The event will include exhibitions, B2B meetings, MoUs, product launches, and knowledge-sharing sessions, attracting top policymakers and global CEOs.
Established in 1927 as Sree Meenakshi Mills, GHCL Textiles has evolved into a forward-looking company that values innovation, sustainability, and workforce development. With a strong foundation and a vision for long-term growth, GHCL Textiles remains dedicated to strengthening India’s textile sector through continuous advancements in technology and sustainable manufacturing.
The British Textile Machinery Association (BTMA) is alerting apparel brands, retailers, and suppliers about a major shift as the EU and UK officially ban fluorescent lighting from February 24, 2025. This phase-out, aimed at eliminating mercury-containing lamps, impacts designers, fabric manufacturers, and retail displays.
BTMA CEO Jason Kent explains that while mercury-based lamps were banned for general use in August 2023, an exemption for specialist applications, such as colour assessment, ends this month. The legislation is expected to be adopted globally.
This means specialist manufacturers, including VeriVide, will no longer sell new fluorescent-based light booths. Colour consistency across the textile supply chain is crucial, notes VeriVide Sales Director Adam Dakin, as fluorescent-based colour matching may appear different under LED store lighting, leading to costly returns and recalls.
VeriVide has spent a decade perfecting its all-LED UltraView technology, ensuring accurate digital colour assessments. The system, adopted by retailers like H&M, NEXT, and Marks & Spencer, replaces traditional fluorescent booths while improving energy efficiency and sustainability.
“We’ve future-proofed colour assessment with UltraView,” says Gary Timmons, fabric technologist at NEXT. VeriVide still holds replacement stock for existing fluorescent booths but urges a transition to UltraView.
Kent emphasizes that LEDs, being mercury-free and energy-efficient, are the ideal alternative. “With a complex supply chain, precision in lighting conditions is essential,” he says, urging the industry to adapt swiftly.
A new report by Fashion for Good and BCG highlights the urgent need for fashion brands to adopt next-generation materials, which could reshape the industry’s environmental impact and cost structure. Materials account for 92 per cent of fashion’s emissions and nearly 30 per cent of cost of goods sold (COGS).
While next-gen materials currently make up only 1 per cent of the fiber market, they could reach 8 per cent or 13 million tons by 2030. However, achieving this growth requires overcoming financial, technical, and operational barriers amid regulatory pressures, supply chain disruptions, and shifting consumer preferences.
The report, Scaling Next-Gen Materials in Fashion: An Executive Guide, outlines three key levers to accelerate adoption: demand, cost, and capital. Stable demand signals, demand pooling, and transition financing can ease adoption challenges. Cost engineering and supply chain optimization will make these materials more affordable.
Strategic financing, aligned with different adoption phases, is essential for long-term scaling. Brands that integrate next-gen materials into core strategies can reduce COGS by 4 per cent over five years, ensuring competitiveness in an evolving market.
Industry leaders stress the urgency of action. “Next-generation materials are no longer just an opportunity but a business imperative,” said Katrin Ley, managing director at Fashion for Good. BCG’s Sebastian Boger emphasized that scaling these materials is critical for staying relevant, while Catharina Martinez-Pardo noted that brands embedding them into their strategies now will lead the future of fashion.
The report calls for both individual brand efforts and industry-wide collaboration to drive adoption and secure long-term resilience.
The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA) has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with China Textile Academy (CTA) and ANTA Sports Products Group Co Ltd (ANTA) to advance textile innovation and industrial transformation.
The collaboration brings together Hong Kong and mainland China's expertise to accelerate technology transfer, commercialization, and sustainable development. CTA, a leading national research institute, will work with HKRITA to scale laboratory technologies into pilot tests and industry applications. Meanwhile, ANTA, a top sportswear brand, will focus on athlete-driven innovation and sustainable solutions to enhance product performance and competitiveness.
HKRITA CEO Jake Koh highlighted the strategic importance of these partnerships, stating, “R&D requires a multitude of brilliant ideas to succeed. These memoranda create a large pool of innovative exchanges between Hong Kong and the mainland, allowing us to tackle industry challenges and stay ahead of the competition.”
CTA General Manager Ma Yongmei emphasized the institute’s strong innovation chain, covering material development, fibre applications, equipment, and certification. “This collaboration will drive technological breakthroughs and accelerate the integration of R&D with industrialization,” she said.
ANTA Vice President Li Su echoed the excitement, stating, “We look forward to creating an innovation platform with HKRITA to enhance the sportswear industry’s value chain.”
The partnerships will focus on cutting-edge areas, including new fibre materials, functional textiles, smart manufacturing, and sustainable regenerated textiles. By combining research and industrial expertise, the initiatives aim to accelerate product development, strengthen market competitiveness, and promote eco-friendly practices.
Bluesign is accelerating sustainability in footwear with bold initiatives, including expanding its Bluesign Finder database and partnering with Vibram. These efforts support the industry's shift toward cleaner, safer, and more sustainable manufacturing amid growing environmental regulations.
Last week, Bluesign announced a major update to its Bluesign Finder, a digital platform for certified chemical products. The addition of Safe Polymers provides manufacturers with a wider selection of eco-friendly, high-performance materials that meet strict environmental and safety standards. This expansion simplifies access to verified sustainable polymers, helping brands minimize waste, enhance efficiency, and comply with evolving regulations.
Bluesign is also strengthening its footwear sustainability initiative through a partnership with Vibram, a global leader in high-performance rubber soles. Leveraging its input stream management system, Bluesign ensures that harmful chemicals are eliminated at the start of production, reducing environmental impact while maintaining strict safety standards.
The collaboration aligns with stringent EU regulations, including the EU Green Deal, setting a science-backed blueprint for responsible footwear manufacturing. By integrating sustainability at the foundation of production, Bluesign and Vibram are driving a major industry shift toward cleaner, regulation-compliant processes.
With these advancements, Bluesign is reinforcing its leadership in sustainable chemistry, helping footwear brands transition to a more responsible future.
Being held from February 13-15, 2025, at the Cairo International Convention Centre in Nasr City, the 76th edition of Egypt’s leading clothing and textile exhibition, Cairo Fashion & Tex features 750 Egyptian and international brands.
The event is being held under the guidance of the Ministries of Industry and Investment and showcases the latest industry trends and innovations. Organized by Pyramids Groups for International Exhibitions and Conferences, the exhibition is supported by the Ready-Made Garments and Textile Chamber It is Egypt’s largest fashion and textile industry event and attracts over 30,000 visitors annually.
Cairo Fashion & Tex provides a valuable opportunity to Egyptian companies to showcase their products while staying updated on global market trends, emphasizes Mohamed El-Sherif, Chairperson, Pyramids Group. The exhibition plays a vital role in fostering collaboration among companies, facilitating trade, and securing export and investment deals, he highlights.
According to El-Sherif, this year’s event has drawn significant participation from exhibitors representing Egypt, Turkey, China, Germany, Italy, and other countries. He expects the number of export deals secured by Egyptian companies to increase to approximately $200 million from the $60 million in agreements signed during the previous edition.
Pyramids Group also plans to launch several upcoming exhibitions in 2024, including Egy Fashion in April, which will feature over 500 brands and attract 1,500 international buyers, and Syria Fashion & Tex, set to be held in Syria at the end of August.
Mohamed Atef, Director, Pyramids Group, notes, the strong participation of exhibitors, visitors, and international buyers reflects their growing confidence in Egypt’s textile industry. The company successfully coordinated the attendance of a 1,000-member international buyers’ delegation from Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen, he confirms.
The exhibition will boost Egypt’s textile and apparel exports, thus positioning the country as a regional hub for the industry, with over 30,000 local and international visitors expected to attend the event, Atef affirms.
TANTU Seminar at India International Centre brought together experts, policymakers, and industry leaders to address sustainability and recycling in the textile and apparel industry. The event focused on waste reduction, circular economy practices, product life cycle analysis, and sustainable manufacturing.
Eight distinguished speakers shared insights on sustainable practices, technological advancements, and policy initiatives shaping the industry’s future.
Ashok Kumar, Deputy Director General, Bureau of Energy Efficiency, New Delhi, delivered the keynote address, emphasizing immediate action on sustainability. He reminded attendees of the Paris Agreement’s goal to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius and achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century. He stressed that the time for research and discussion had passed, and the industry must act now.
Innovations in recycling and performance textiles
Gaurav Seth, Head of Strategic Partnership at Indo-German Yarn and Fibre LLP, highlighted the challenges of recycling technical textiles. He discussed successful methods for re-engineering performance fibers like para-aramid, meta-aramid, and carbon fibers. These recycled products are now being supplied to manufacturers, reducing waste and environmental impact.
Ajitesh Upadhyaya, Senior Section Expert at BEE India, outlined India’s Carbon Market Framework, Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS), and its alignment with international carbon tax regulations. He detailed how the Perform, Achieve, and Trade (PAT) scheme is helping the textile sector achieve energy efficiency goals.
Compliance and the role of LCA
Chinky Tyagi Khare of Green Story spoke about sustainability regulations and product life cycle assessment (LCA). She warned that manufacturers risk losing business and damaging their reputation if they fail to provide environmental footprint data, as responsibility shifts up the supply chain. Green Story’s tools are aiding companies in assessing and improving their sustainability credentials.
Independent sustainability consultant Pankaj Kapoor discussed climate change's impact on the textile industry. He outlined key sustainability metrics and ESG regulatory deadlines, emphasizing that the industry must prepare for stricter compliance by 2025.
Abhijit Majumder of IIT Delhi shared research on post-consumer textile recycling. His team has successfully regenerated yarns for fully fashioned apparel, demonstrating the potential for closed-loop recycling in fashion.
Industry’s role in sustainability
Sutanu Goswami, Senior General Manager at TUV SUD South Asia, urged the fashion industry to rethink its environmental impact. “By adopting responsible sourcing, ethical production, and recycling initiatives, we can move towards a more sustainable future,” he said.
Sanya Arora, Engagement Officer at CDP, emphasized the growing need for disclosure, particularly for SMEs. Transparency in environmental reporting is now a business necessity, she noted.
Arindam Basu, Director General at NITRA, and Lalit Goswami, Senior Scientific Officer at NITRA, presented research on optimizing process parameters for using recycled cotton in yarn production. They noted limitations in blending recycled cotton, with a maximum of 20 per cent for ring spinning and 30 per cent for rotor spinning to maintain quality.
The seminar concluded with a collective commitment from stakeholders to improve transparency, invest in recycling infrastructure, and support policies that drive sustainability. The discussions reinforced the urgent need for industry-wide collaboration to create a greener, more responsible textile sector.
