Textile recycling market in India estimated at $3.5 billion by 2030
By yash chouhan 2026-03-11 11:25:22
India's textile recycling market is estimated to reach $3.5 billion by 2030, could add 1 lakh jobs: Report
The report, “Mapping the Textile Waste Value Chain in India”, highlights the country’s strong potential to lead the global shift towards sustainable and circular textile production.
About 70.73 lakh tonnes of textile waste is generated every year in India. Of this, 42% comes from pre-consumer sources (manufacturing waste) and 58% from post-consumer disposal. More than 70% of the total waste is recovered and directed to recycling, reusing, upcycling or downcycling.
The study has also identified Panipat as a major hub for mechanical textile recycling, where waste from several textile clusters is taken for processing. Developing recycling facilities close to textile hubs can improve efficiency and strengthen India's circular textile ecosystem.
About 95% of pre-consumer waste is recovered, while the spinning sector reuses almost 100% of its waste within production through closed-loop processes. Additionally, approximately 55% of post-consumer textile waste is diverted from landfills through extensive informal collection and sorting networks.
This informal ecosystem supports the livelihood of 40-45 lakh people, mainly women from marginalized communities who are involved in collecting, sorting and redistributing used textiles.
