Kaarak AIACA Market Research Sustainable Textiles

Sustainable Textiles for Sustainable Development
Market Research Study-India
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
K aarak Enterprise Development Services

Private Ltd and UCMA Design Studio
would like to thank Traidcraft, COTEX and
This process would have been incomplete
without the active participation and help
of study respondents. A special thanks to
All India Artisans & Craftworkers Welfare all our participants, including consumers,
Association (AIACA) for giving us this FabIndia (for allowing us to conduct
opportunity to carry out the market consumer survey in one of the retail outlets
research study. We are also thankful to in Delhi), the retailers, manufacturers of
AIACA for their assistance. We are grateful eco-friendly textiles from Delhi, Kolkata,
to Adarsh Kumar, Executive Director AIACA Bengaluru and Mumbai and other craft
and Ms. Nupur Bahl, Project Manager, sector experts.
Switch Asia for being a guiding spirit and
co-traveller in this journey. We hope that this study is useful for both
practitioners and advocacy groups alike
We would like to thank the European to further the cause of eco-friendliness. Any
Commission for supporting the omissions or errors are ours.
Sustainable Textiles for Sustainable
Development project, under which the
market research study was commissioned. Research Team
During the course of investigation, we met Kaarak Enterprise Development Services

several individuals and institutions who Private Limited- Brajesh Pandey,
took out time to engage with us and help Nikhil Mathur, Teresa Khanna,
us clarify and crystallize our thoughts and Divya Trikha
hypothesis. We offer our heartfelt thanks UCMA Design Studio- Meghna Ajit,
to them. Sneha Gautam
Anuradha Nambiar
CONTENTS
Executive Summary 1
1. About the Study 3

1.1 Context 3
1.2 Objectives 3
1.3 Methodology 4
2. Textile and Clothing Industry: An Overview 7

2.1 SWOT of the Indian Textile Industry 8
2.2 Raw Material Production 9
2.3 Sectoral Composition of Textile Industry 9
3. Eco-Friendliness in Textiles 12
3.1 The Textile Industry and Environmental Pollution 12
3.2 What is an Eco-Friendly Textile? 15
3.3 Regulating Eco-Friendliness 17
3.4 Eco-Labels 21
4. Indian Market for the Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Textiles 29

4.1 Overview of Indian Textile and Clothing Market 29
4.2 Market Perspective 30
4.3 Consumers’ Perspective 41
4.4 Eco-Friendly Textiles in Indian Fashion Industry 53
4.5 Trend Analysis of the Products 55
4.6 Demand and Supply Assessment 57
5. Recommendations 58
5.1 Market Related Recommendations 58
5.2 Eco-Label Related Recommendations 60
Bibliography 63
Annex 1: List of Respondents City-wise 67

Annex 2: Toxic Substances Used in the Textile Industry 68
Annex 3: Types of Eco-Labels as per Administrative Mechanism 70
Annex 4: Standardisation of Eco-Labels 73
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
T he Indian textile and clothing industry

plays a dominant role in the national
economy and has a prominent position in
This study conducted domestic market
research to help lay the groundwork for
formulating effective marketing strategies
the global textile industry. Its total market for eco-friendly products in the domestic
size is estimated at US$ 52 billion, 4% of market. Through extensive primary and
the global trade in textile and clothing secondary research, including visits to
products. India ranks seventh in the global retailers, consumer surveys and interviews
trade in textiles and it is fifth in the total with producers of eco-friendly products,
global trade in clothing. India is also the the study collected information on the
fourth largest producer of staple fibre and nascent eco-friendly product market in
is sixth among filament yarn producers. India including the size of the market,
The textile and clothing industry alone structure, future trends, potential niches,
contributes 20% to India’s industrial current price information, information on The textile industry
is one of the most
production, 4% to the national GDP and buyers and useful market contacts. chemically
15% to India’s gross export earnings. Yet, intensive
research and policy attention have not An increase in consumer awareness has industries globally,
and the biggest
focused on environmental challenges led to the emergence of ‘green’ market water polluter
posed by the sector and the 11th five year segments in many markets across the after agriculture
plan for the textiles sector does not even world. Manufacturers responded to this
list managing environmental impact as market and the explosion of
one of its priorities. advertisements and product labels using
the environment to sell products that
The textile industry is one of the most followed soon left consumers bewildered
chemically intensive industries globally, and confused. A 1996 study by Consumers
and the biggest water polluter after International found many instances of
agriculture. It takes about 500 gallons of misleading environmental claims in
water to produce enough fabric to cover Central and Eastern Europe. A study by
one sofa. Many countries have adopted three United States universities found that
environmental standards and terms such as “environment-friendly’ were
requirements restricting the use of harmful being used thrice more often in 1995 than
chemicals in the production of textile and 1992. As a result, third-party certification
clothing – these are mandatory and in the form of eco-labels was born as a
imposed by various laws and regulations. means of providing environmentally
In India, the regulatory framework for conscious consumers with reliable
environmental standards for textile information regarding the environmental
manufacturing units has been in place for impact of the products they are
many years. But compliance by the Indian purchasing.
textile industry (especially processing units)
has overall been rather poor. This is Eco-labels have been far more successful
primarily because the costs have gone up than regulations and laws in effecting
but price realisation has not kept pace, environmental and health protection as
making investing in greener technology well as pollution control. Most eco-labels
and processes unviable, especially for have stringent criteria, thereby impelling
producer groups and manufacturers manufacturers to design and develop
whose operations are either small or environmentally friendly products and to
medium scale (such as handloom reduce their carbon footprint. The Indian
producers) or cater to the domestic market government launched a voluntary eco-
where eco-requirements are not yet labelling scheme named “Eco Mark” in
particularly stringent. February 1991 with the earthen pot or
1
matka as the symbol. In spite of being in responsibility is on the consumer to decide

existence for 16 years, the Indian eco-label whether the product is actually eco-friendly
has not really caught on with buyers. or not.
Currently, only 12 manufacturers in India
have been awarded the Eco Mark for Interviews with manufacturing units,
products such as paper, paper pulp and retailers and consumer surveys showed
paper board. However, not a single that there was an increasing awareness
product carries the mark. and buying interest for eco-friendly
products amongst the middle-class,
The Indian eco-friendly textiles market is especially young working professionals
at a nascent stage. There is an absence of and women. However, the majority of
any significant player selling products with respondents are wary of paying a premium
eco-friendly tags. Unlike in the West, there even when they received watertight
is not a single functional eco-label assurances about the eco-friendliness of
operating in the domestic textile market. a product. This points to the need for more
Instead, producer groups stake their own brand-promotion overall for eco-friendly
claims or brand associations to eco- products. Non-availability and high prices
friendliness, capitalising not on absolutist are two of the most frequently cited
criteria of what constitutes eco-friendly but reasons among consumers for not buying
on consumer perceptions of eco- eco-friendly products.
friendliness. These perceptions are based
mainly around four areas: 1. Fibre related The growth of organized retail in India and
marketing tags: Organic, (khadi) made increasing consumer awareness provides
from natural fibre, chemical-free, ahimsa an opportunity to carve out increasing
textile; 2. Process related marketing tags: market-space for eco-friendly textiles and
Uses natural dyes, ozone-friendly, Azo free crafts in the Indian market and use that as
dyes hand block printed, hand-woven, a stepping stone for global
handmade, recycled, or bio-degradable; competitiveness in eco-friendly market
3. Social factor related tags: Made by tribal segments. The main areas that we need
The Indian eco- communities, craftspeople, other to work on are brand building – in terms
friendly textiles disadvantaged segments; and 4. Ethics of building a credible Indian eco-label and
market is at a related tags: Moral fibre/clothing with a raising consumer awareness; encouraging
nascent stage.
conscience. There are different additional entrepreneurs in the textiles
connotations to the word “eco-friendly” sector to take up eco -friendly
Unlike in the and in the absence of any label or manufacturing processes so as to provide
West, there is not
a single functional standardized process, there are multiple consumers with a wide range of product
eco-label products in this segment which are being choices; and developing more efficient
operating in the pitched and sold as eco-friendly products distribution chains so as to make eco-
domestic textile
market.
by multiple players wherein the entire friendly products competiteve in the
market.
2
1. ABOUT THE STUDY
1.1 Context 1 textile parks across India. The project seeks

to bring together a range of partners-
T he All India Artisans and Craftworkers

Welfare Association (AIACA), a not-for-
profit organization working for the crafts
including technical service providers, textile
producer groups, SMEs and local
government representatives- to conduct
sector in India, is executing the research action research, which will provide low-
and policy education components of the cost technological solutions to reducing
Switch Asia Project. Sponsored by the pollution from craft and textile production
European Union, the project is being activities. The project is relevant to the
implemented in partnership with Traidcraft, needs of textile -producing SMEs
United Kingdom (UK) and Jaipur (particularly the block-printing industry),
Integrated Texcraft Park Private Ltd (JITPPL). the key target group, as they will benefit
Implemented over four years, the project from a better brand image in the market
seeks to promote sustainable production because of adopting more eco-friendly
and consumption practices in the textile and socially responsible practices.
and craft sector in India.
The current assignment of domestic market
The project’s objective is to promote the research aims to provide inputs to
production (i.e. development of less stakeholders that would help them identify
polluting and more resource efficient the market for the sustainable eco-friendly
products, processes and services) and textile products and accordingly design
consumption of environment-friendly and produce products appropriate to these
textiles to reduce poverty and improve the market segments and tastes.
quality of life for artisans in the textile and
craft sectors. This will be achieved by 1.2 Objectives
conducting action research and pilot
interventions to set new sector-wide best The specific objectives of the market
practice standards for environmental research are to:
compliance and improvements in the
health and safety measures provided for O Conduct domestic market research to
craftspeople and textile workers. identify and assess the demand for
sustainable eco-friendly textile The project's
Specifically, the project will pilot effluent products in India which includes: objective is to
promote the
treatment facilities and training of workers, o Market trend analysis (for production (i.e.
and targets 25,000 artisans in 500 block- the last 3-5 years) of eco-
development of
less polluting and
printing small and medium enterprises friendly products in India more resource
(SMEs) in Rajasthan. Fourteen other textile efficient products,
clusters and thirty Government of India o Information collection on processes and
(GoI) approved Textile Parks will also the domestic market services) and
consumption of
benefit from research on low- cost including the size, environment-
technology, sharing of learning and structure, future trends, friendly textiles to
opportunities for replication. potential niches, current reduce poverty and
improve the quality
price information, of life for artisans
The SWITCH-Asia project will establish a information on buyers and in the textile and
model eco-friendly textile park that would useful market contacts craft sectors.
set an example for the other 29 approved
1
“SWITCH-Asia Promoting Sustainable Consumption and Production - Project Brief.” April 2009. All India Artisans
and Craftworkers Welfare Association. 2009 <http://www.aiacaonline.org/pdf/switchasia.pdf>.
3
o Analysis of the supply ensured direct consumers’ perspective

chain/market channels to to the study.
identify potential points of
entry, opportunities and O Secondary research focused on issues
challenges for eco-friendly related to market, production points
products and technical aspects. One of the
focus areas of the secondary research
O Assist in formulating effective was defining the universe, eco-system
marketing strategies for eco-friendly and understanding of eco-friendly and
products targeting the domestic sustainable textiles. The research also
consumer looked into the labelling aspects of
eco-friendly textiles and their status at
As there is an international market the national as well as at the
research study being conducted, the international level.
domestic research team will coordinate
with the International Market Research The secondary research also focused
Consultant to ensure a synergy between on the role of the textile industry in
the two studies. India, the current and potential market
of the different sectors in the textile
The recommendations of the research will industry and finally the issues related
be presented to the JITPPL and designers to eco-friendly products, i.e.
who are part of the Switch Asia project to understanding in Indian context, eco-
guide the development of a range of eco- friendly fashion, and recent buzz or
friendly products according to the current the news related to the eco-friendly
demands and trends in the market. This textile market. In addition, the research
will also assist the JITPPL in developing a tried to gather information on the
marketing strategy in collaboration with production points.
various SMEs and partners.
Respondent Categorisation
1.3 Methodology
The primary research categorized its
The research methodology comprised of respondents into the following categories:
both primary and secondary research:
O Retailers
O Primary research included market visits
in four metros of the country and O Consumers
meeting key actors in eco-friendly O Producers
product value chains. Forty
O Suppliers
organisations (listed in Annexure 1)
were covered in the research. Sectoral O Support Institutions
experts were also consulted to gain a
O Sectoral Experts
technical as well as market
perspective.
Sampling and Data Collection for
Given that the number of such retail Primary Research
and producer organisations is limited,
interactions and visits were also made Primary data collection in four cities:
to stores who sell handloom/artisanal/ Primary market visits and discussion with
natural items to derive a wider key actors were undertaken in Delhi,
understanding of this ‘off-mainstream’ Bengaluru, Kolkota and Mumbai.
market. The study also included a Preliminary information regarding the
consumer survey in two forms, online different actors were collected through
and at a FabIndia store in Delhi. This web-searches, list of AIACA member
4
organizations provided by AIACA , and other industry experts. This

information from the designer or the textile consultation was organized at India
industry and finally from the market itself International Centre, New Delhi on 22
during the visits. September 2009. This consultation
gave valuable inputs to the study and
A data collection toolkit was designed helped in maintaining the right focus.
which included interview schedules for
Retailers, Producers/Suppliers and Support O Meetings with experts: The Research
organizations (which includes policy and Team also met prominent figures from
industry organizations). The interview the crafts and textile sectors who are
schedules are given in Annexure 2, 3 and known for their efforts to promote
4. artisans and their products during their
field research in various cities. This
O Online consumer survey: A website- helped in understanding production
based online consumer survey was and marketing related issues from the
designed and conducted. A total of artisan and support organization
175 consumers took the survey. perspective.
O Consumer survey at Vasant Kunj,
O AIACA member survey: The team
FabIndia: During the project, it was felt
attempted a survey via email and
that it would be interesting to conduct
website for AIACA and Craftmark
a survey amongst the consumers of
members. However, this method got
FabIndia products. The research team
very limited response and only three
felt that the FabIndia consumer would
AIACA members responded to the
be representative of consumers
survey.
interested in purchasing eco-friendly
products. Sixty responses were
collected from the Vasant Kunj, Delhi
Product Categorisation
store of FabIndia. The form used was
In order to identify and assess the market
same as the online survey and
situation, the research team created an
provided an interesting comparative
exhaustive product range listing which can
analysis. The survey form is given in
be broadly categorized into three
Annex 5.
categories:
O Stakeholder consultation: A half-day
O Furnishing
consultation was organized by the
Research Team to share their findings O Garments
and preliminary analysis with AIACA O Accessories
5
The following is the listing of the same:
Table 1: List of Products Examined during the Study
Furnishing Garments Accessories
Soft furnishings Men's wear Bags

O Sofa throws O Cotton bags
Women's wear
O Floor cushions and O Jute bags
O Maternity clothing
pillows O Tote bags
O Cushions
O Woollen bags
Children's wear
O Pillows
O Beach bags
O Infant clothing
O Laptop bags
O Toddler clothing
Table linen
O Quilted bags and
O Napkins
Woollens luggage
O Placemats
O Sweaters O Straw and rope bags
O Runners
O School bags
O Table covers Casual wear
O Children's bags
O Toddler's bags
Bed linen Formal clothing
O Bedding for infants
Sportswear Belts
O Bedding for toddlers
O Fitness clothing
Stoles
O Bedding for children
O Swim suite
Scarves
O Coversheets
Shawls
O Quilts
Undergarments Handkerchiefs
Bathrobes
Bath towels
Sleepwear
Floor mats
Socks and stockings
Flooring rugs
Car seat covers Special purpose clothing
Upholstery O Party wear
Curtains O Stage wear
Curtain accessories O Uniforms and work
wear
O Wedding garments
O Evening wear
6
2. TEXTILE AND CLOTHING INDUSTRY:

AN OVERVIEW2
T he Indian textile and clothing

industry (plays a dominant role in the
national economy and has a prominent
supports agriculture in over 9.5 million
hectares of land where cotton is
cultivated), and the fourth largest
The textile and
clothing industry
contributes 20% to
India’s industrial
position in the global textile industry. Some producer of Man Made Fibres (2.51 production, 4% to
the national GDP
of the key facts about the industry are: million tonnes) in the world.3 and 15% to India’s
gross export
O Its total market size is estimated at O The textile and clothing industry also earnings.
US$ 52 billion, 4% of the global trade provides direct employment to 35
in textile and clothing products. million people and an additional 47
million people in allied sectors (next
O India ranks seventh in the global trade only to agriculture).
in textiles and it is fifth in the total
global trade in clothing. India is also The primary sectors of the textile and
in the remarkable position of being clothing industry include:
the fourth largest producer of staple
fibre and is sixth among filament yarn O Man-made fibre industry
producers. India also accounts for one
O Decentralised power mill textile
fourth of global trade in cotton yarn.
industry
O The textile and clothing industry
O Filament yarn power loom sector
contributes 20% to India’s industrial
production, 4% to the national GDP O Woollen textile industry
and 15% to India’s gross export
earnings. O Silk industry
O India has the second largest installed O Jute industry

base of spindles with 30 million
operational spindles, the second O Handloom industry
largest producer of cotton (31.5 O Clothing and apparel
million bales are produced annually, The textile and
clothing industry
also provides direct
employment to 35
million people and
an additional 47
million people in
allied sectors (next
only to agriculture).
2
The Report of the Working Group (WG) on Textiles and Jute Industry for the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007-
2012). New Delhi: Government of India, Ministry of Textiles, 2007.
3
Mangalam, Shaju. “Eco-labelling Challenges and Opportunities for Indian Textile Industry.” Presentation at
National Eco-labelling Workshop, Jaipur, India- 23 June 2008 <http://fr1.estis.net/includes/file.asp?site=eco-
label&file=7741FDDA-1983-4E8E-9DD2-06E7ED9806CD>.
7
2.1 SWOT Analysis of the Indian Textile and Clothing Industry
Table 2: SWOT Analysis of the Indian Textile and Clothing Industry
Strengths Weaknesses
O Strong and diverse raw material base O Structural weaknesses in weaving and
O Third largest producer of cotton processing
O Fifth largest producer of man-made fibre O 2% of shuttle-less looms as percent-
and yarn age of total looms as against world
O Vertical and horizontal integrated textile average of 16% and China at 15%,
value chain Pakistan at 9% and Indonesia with 10%
O Strong presence in entire textile value O Highly fragmented and technology
chain from raw material to finished backward textile processing sector
goods O Highly fragmented garment industry
O Globally competitive spinning industry O Except spinning, all other segments are
O Average cotton yarn spinning cost at US$ predominantly in decentralized sector
2.50 per kg. Which is lower than all the O The rigid labour laws: proving a bottle-
countries including China neck particularly to the garment sec-
O Low wages: rate at US$ 0.75 per tor
operator hour as compared to US$ 1.00 O Large seasonal orders cannot be taken
in China and US$ 3.00 in Turkey because the labour strength cannot be
O Unique strength in traditional handlooms reduced during the slack season
and handicrafts O Inadequate capacity of the domestic
O Flexible production system textile machinery manufacturing sec-
O Diverse design base tor
O Big demand and supply gap in the
training facilities in textile sector
O Infrastructural bottlenecks in terms of
power, utility, road transport etc.
Opportunities Threats
O Quota phase out - pushing the export O Possibility of a global recession trig-
growth to the level of 22% in 2005-06 gered by a weakening dollar
O Buoyant domestic economy O Higher competition especially after
O Increasing disposable income levels 2008 when China cannot be re-
O Increasing working female population: strained under World Trade Organi-
The propensity to spend in the case of zation (WTO) rules
working women is higher by 1.3 times O Non-availability of indigenous textile
as compared to a housewife machinery
O Increased use of credit cards and O Lack of domestic capital and absence
availability of cheap financing would also of appetite of domestic industries to in-
provide a boost to impulsive apparel vest in the quantities envisaged for 12%
purchases growth target
O Revolution in organized retailing would
increase the consumption of apparel and
ready mades
Keeping these features of the textile Objectives

industry in mind, the Government of India
in its Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2006-07 to O Build world-class state-of-the-art
2011-12) has laid down the following manufacturing capacities to attain and
objectives and growth targets for the sustain predominant global standing
sector: in manufacture and export of textiles
and clothing.
8
O Facilitate growth of the Indian textile 15.13% in 2005-06. Continuing with this Cloth production
expected to grow
industry at the rate of 16% in value trend, it is projected that it will increase at at the rate of 12%
terms to reach level of US$ 115 billion the rate of 14% until 2012. The production in volume terms
(comprising of US$ 55 billion of of blended cloth did not grow during the
exports and US$ 60 billion of domestic first four years of the Tenth Five-Year Plan, Clothing and
apparel expected
market). except during 2005-06 at a rate of 3.48%. to grow at the
O Attain a 7% share in global textile It is estimated to increase now at 7% due rate of 16% in
to the removal of anomalies in excise volume terms and
trade by 2012. 21% in value
duties. terms
Targets
The production of 100% non-cotton cloth Exports expected
O Cloth production expected to grow at showed an increase of 12.7% in 2001- to grow at the
the rate of 12% in volume terms 02, and 9.16% in 2003-04, though the rate of 22% in
value terms
same growth was not maintained in the
O Clothing and apparel expected to
later years of the Tenth Five-Year Plan.
grow at the rate of 16% in volume
Considering this as a temporary
terms and 21% in value terms
phenomenon and after the removal of
O Exports expected to grow at the rate anomalies in excise duties and the
of 22% in value terms consequent spurt in production, it is
projected to grow at a rate of 10% during
2.2 Raw Material Production the Eleventh Five-Year Plan period.
Cotton production witnessed a significant
growth rate of 14.5% in 2004-05, and
Table 3: Projection of Sector-Wise Share in Cloth Production4

Percentage Share in Production
Sector
Actual 2005-06 Projected 2011-12
Mill sector 3 5
Power loom sector 62 61
Handloom sector 13 13
Hosiery sector 21 20
Khadi/Wool and Silk sector 1 1
Total 100 100
2.3 Sectoral Composition of Textile fabric production accounts for 62% of

Industry the total cloth production in the country
The textile industry is comprised largely of O As of 31 March 2006, there were

different sectors. A brief profile on the six approximately 4.30 lakh power loom
major sectors in the textile industry (a. units with 19.44 lakh power-looms in
power-loom, b. handloom, c. clothing and the country
apparel, d. wool, e. jute and f. technical
textiles) is presented below: O The technology level of this sector
varies from plain looms to high-tech
Power-loom Sector shuttle-less looms
O Most important sector in terms of O According to the census of power
employment generation, 48.60 lakh processing united conducted by the
people employed in this sector and
4
9
It is the second Textiles Committee in 2005, there O It grew at a rate of 25.63% over the
highest
employment
were 2,510 power processing units in previous year
generating sector the country as compared to 2,324
There are also various challenges that exist
in India, units found in 1999-2000
employing 65 in the handloom sector, including
lakh persons, O The major clusters of textile processing
either directly and units are in Mumbai, Surat, O It is a scattered (there are more than
indirectly and is it 400 handloom clusters in India) and
is the largest
Ahmedabad, Delhi, Ludhiana,
handloom Amritsar and Tirupur un-organized sector
industry in the
world Handloom Sector O It faces unrestricted competition from
O It is the second highest employment the domestic power-loom/mill-made
It contributes
about 15% to generating sector in India, employing fabric and from cheap imported mill
cloth production, 65 lakh persons, either directly and cloth
and in 2002-03
indirectly and is it is the largest
contributed over O The high cost of credit, low
US$ 544 million handloom industry in the world
disbursement of credit, reduction in the
in export earnings
O It contributes about 15% to cloth marketing incentive on a tapering
production, and in 2002-03 basis and the withdrawal of duty
contributed over US$ 544 million in exemption make it hard to sustain
export earnings
Table 4: Fibre-Wise Projection of Cloth Production (million square meter)5
Type of cloth Estimated Production Projected Production

(2006-07) (2011-12)
Cotton 25,207 49,629
Blended 6,866 9,630
100% Non-cotton 21,487 34,605
Khadi, Woollen and Silk 700 736
Total 54,260 94,600
Clothing and Apparel Sector o In exports - 2.24 billion pieces

with value of Rs. 37,208 crore
This is an important sector in terms of
employment generation, especially for o In the domestic market - 5.61
women (they account for 38% of the billion pieces with value of Rs.
workers in the clothing sector) and export, 56,120 crore
contributing about 49% to total textile Apparel
This is an
important sector exports.
in terms of
O It is concentrated primarily in eight
employment Clothing clusters: Tirupur, Ludhiana, Bangalore,
generation, Delhi/Noida/Gurgaon, Mumbai,
especially for
women (they
O It is a fragmented sector, composed Kolkata, Jaipur and Indore
account for 38% predominantly of small-scale
o Tirupur, Ludhiana and Kolkata
of the workers in enterprise - the reason could be
the clothing are major centres for knitwear
attributed to the Small Scale Industries
sector) and
export, (SSI) reservation policy o Bangalore, Delhi/Noida/
contributing about Gurgaon, Mumbai, Jaipur
49% to total O In 2005-06, total production was 7.85
and Indore are major centres
textile exports. billion pieces with a value of Rs.
for woven garments
93,328 crore
5
10
There are 718

O The unit value realization in the woven Jute Sector
woollen units in
garment sector is about US$ 5.05 per O This is a key industry in the eastern the organized
piece and US$ 2.70 per piece in part of the country, particularly in West
sector and a large
knitwear sector. number of units in
Bengal the small scale
sector - Ludhiana
Woollen Textile Sector O It is a major source of employment, alone accounts
supporting nearly 4 million farm for 225-240 units
O India is the seventh largest producer in the
families, directly employing about 2.6
of raw wool accounting for 1.8% of decentralized
lakh industrial workers, and providing hosiery and shawl
the world production.
a livelihood to an estimated 1.4 lakh sector
O It has about 4.2% of the total sheep people in tertiary sectors and allied
population (in 2003, 6.15 crore) activities
O The wool industry is broadly divided O Capacity utilization in the industry is
between the organized and around 75%
decentralized sectors – the organized
O According to the Report of the Expert
industry includes:
Committee on Technical Textiles (July
o Composite Mills 2004), as of 2004, as a fibre jute
o Combing Units contributed 14% of the total fibre
consumption of technical textiles and
o Worsted and Non- in 2000, of the total consumption of
Worsted Spinning Units 1,400 million sq. metres in geo-textiles
o Knitwear and Woven jute constituted 1%
Garment units O Two growth areas for the jute industry,
o Machine Made Carpet are technical textiles, including jute
Manufacturing Units. geo-textiles and jute-diversified It is a major
products source of
Decentralized Industry- (i) employment,
Hosiery and Knitting (ii) O The industry is faces immense supporting nearly
4 million farm
Power loom (iii) Hand competition from the synthetic textile families, directly
Knotted Carpets, Drugget, sector employing about
Namdahs and (iv) 2.6 lakh industrial
Independent Dyeing and O The fibre quality of jute needs to be workers, and
improved, currently only about 11% providing a
Processing Houses. livelihood to an
of raw jute belongs to the high quality estimated 1.4 lakh
O It is a key sector in terms of grades people in tertiary
employment, in aggregate it employs sectors and allied
27 lakh people Technical Textiles Sector activities
O The major wool producing states in the O Represents a multi-disciplinary field

country are: Rajasthan (44%), Jammu with numerous end-use applications
and Kashmir (J&K) (13%), Karnataka O In industrialized countries, technical
(12%) and Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, textiles are a major activity, while in In industrialized
Andhra Pradesh, Haryana (2%). India it makes up less than 10% of the countries,
O There are 718 woollen units in the total textile industry technical textiles
are a major
organized sector and a large number O The global market size of technical activity, while in
of units in the small scale sector - textiles was estimated by David Rigby India it makes up
Ludhiana alone accounts for 225-240 less than 10% of
Associates (an international consulting the total textile
units in the decentralized hosiery and firm specialising in technical textiles) industry
shawl sector to have a volume of 19.68 million
tones, valued in 2005 at US$ 106.90
billion - it is expected to increase to
22.77 million tones by 2010, with a
value of US$ 127 billion
11
3. ECO-FRIENDLINESS IN TEXTILES
3.1 The Textile Industry and 2005 article in Business Week 7, “the
Environmental Pollution population that is allergic to chemicals will
grow to 60% by the year 2020.”
T he initial environmental debate, in the

1970s and 1980s, placed rapid
industrialisation and urbanization, coupled
O Water
with an ever-increasing population, at its A finite resource that is quickly becoming

forefront. Early initiatives in the realm of scarce, water is used at every step of the
environmental policy and regulation as process both to convey the chemicals used
well as eco-friendly business practice during that step and to wash them out
therefore focussed on large- scale before beginning the next step. Water
mechanised production processes such as becomes full of chemical additives and is
energy supply and issues such as air and then expelled as wastewater; which in turn
water pollution. pollutes the environment:
In the 1980s, a more holistic view arose, O by the effluent’s heat,

encompassing the products and their O by its increased pH,
environmental impact over their entire life
cycle, i.e. raw material extraction, O and because it is saturated with
manufacture, use and final disposal. dyes, de-foamers, bleaches,
detergents, optical brighteners,
Environmental Hazards of the Textile equalizers and many other
Industry6 chemicals used during the
process.
The textile industry has been condemned
as being one of the world’s worst offenders The textile industry is one of the most
in terms of pollution because it requires a chemically intensive industries on earth,
great amount of two components: and the biggest water polluter after
chemicals and water. agriculture. It takes about 500 gallons of
water to produce enough fabric to cover
O Chemicals one sofa
As many as 2,000 different chemicals are Global consumption of fresh water is

used in the textile industry, from dyes to doubling every 20 years. Mills discharge
transfer agents. Traditionally produced millions of gallons of effluent each year,
fabrics contain residuals of chemicals used full of chemicals such as formaldehyde
during their manufacture—chemicals that (HCHO), chlorine, heavy metals (such as
evaporate into the air we breathe or are lead and mercury) and others, which are
The textile industry absorbed through our skin. significant causes of environmental
has been degradation and human illnesses. The mill
condemned as
being one of the Some of the chemicals are carcinogenic effluent is also often of a high temperature
world's worst or may cause harm to children in pre-natal and pH, both of which are extremely
offenders in terms
stages, while others may trigger allergic damaging.8
of pollution
because it reactions in some people. According to a
requires a great
amount of two
components:
chemicals and
6
water. “Environmental Hazards of the Textile Industry: Environmental Update 24.” Business Week 5 June 2005.
7
“Environmental Hazards of the Textile Industry: Environmental Update 24.” Business Week 5 June 2005.
8
“Eco-Textiles.” Intertek 2009 <http://www.intertek-labtest.com/brochures/Eco-Textiles>.
12
Polluting Processes in the Textile likely to occur because of phenolic and/

Industry9 or chlorinated preservatives.
O Cultivation of Natural Fibres O Loom-shed
Cultivation often requires large amount of There are two types of pollutants created
pesticides, fertilisers and water. In addition by the loom shed, namely floating particles
to its impact on the local water resources, such as fibrous substances and size
excessive water utilisation may also impact particles and noise pollutions. If proper
the soil quality if too much is used in the steps are not taken during the weaving
irrigation of cotton, the salinity of the land operations, oil stains are formed. Before
These processes
may increase thereby adversely affecting chemical processing of textiles, these oil regarded as non-
the land’s fertility. stains are removed. The application of eco-friendly, use
carbon tetra chloride based products, as chemicals like
potassium
Use of fertilisers and pesticides is also stain removers is a health hazard. dichromate,
believed to have a negative effect on soil sodium
fertility. It may also have long-term effects Textile Processing hypochlorite or
peroxide and
on user health because of pesticide residue sodium
in textile products. These processes regarded as non-eco- hypochlorite in the
friendly, use chemicals like potassium preparation
process of
O Spinning dichromate, sodium hypochlorite or desizing, scouring
peroxide and sodium hypochlorite in the and bleaching
preparation process of desizing10, scouring with their related
In the spinning process, individual fibres wash-off stages,
float in the air and thus pollute the and bleaching with their related wash-off thereby producing
atmosphere in the spinning department. stages, thereby producing heavy Biological heavy Biological
Oxygen Demands (BOD) in the effluents. Oxygen Demands
Such floating fibres are dangerous to
(BOD) in the
human beings who inhale it. To minimize For decreasing BOD, it is recommended effluents.
the effect of these floating fibres or to choose the size recipes offering a low
impurities, the humidified air, which is COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) and
scattered in the spinning department, is BOD value. A change from pure starch to
filtered to remove these floating impurities synthetic starch decreases BOD by
from the air. approximately 90%.
O Sizing Chlorine, used in bleaching, creates

halogenated organic substances, of which
In the sizing function, starch is applied as some are suspected to be carcinogenic,
a sticky paste on the yarn to enhance its e.g., chloroform. Wool industry uses
strength and abrasion resistance. The chlorine based compounds for anti-
starch paste consists of preservatives, shrinking dealing, and such practice
which protect the yarn from being eaten generates toxic effluent. For removing rust
by microorganisms. Some preservatives stains in bleaching, the cloth is treated with
such as pentachlorophenol, which are oxalic acid. The oxalic acid is lethal to
obtained from phenolic and/or chlorinated aquatic organisms and it increases COD
compound, possess a toxic effect on and BOD to a significant level.
human skin and ought to therefore be
avoided. Utilizing a synthetic starch Peroxide bleaching requires a stabilizer to
decreases the use of such preservatives, ensure identical and monitored bleaching
thereby decreasing the health hazards during the bleaching operation. Optional
9
“Eco-Friendly Textiles.” 23 November 2006. fibre2fashion. 2009 <http://www.articleonramp.com/
Article.cfm?ID=449>.
10
“Desizing.” Wikipedia. 17 December 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desizing>.
13
stabilizers such as Aminio Tri Methylene need to be avoided for use in dyeing. Most
German Phosphoric Acid (ATMP), Hydroxy Ethyline of the known producers have stopped
legislation of Disphosphonic Acid (HEDA), Diethylene making and marketing dyes creating
consumer goods Triaminc Penta Methylene Phosphoric Acid carcinogenic amines.
state that, "No
articles of dresses (DTPMP) and Ethylene Diamine Tetra
(textiles, shoes, Methylene Phosphoric Acid (EDTMP) are Regarding the direct, vat, sulphur and
leather) and bed also being suggested as peroxide reactive dyes, dyeing processes need huge
linen can be put
in trade, if they
stabilizers. amount of salt to achieve good exhaustion
have been of dye-bath. This leads to an increase in
coloured with azo O Dyeing the dissolved salts in effluent water.
dyes that can
release one of the
Therefore, new dyes are being made,
twenty named German legislation of consumer goods which would need less salt dilution for
amines". state that, “No articles of dresses (textiles, achieving dye fixation.
shoes, leather) and bed linen can be put
in trade, if they have been coloured with O Printing
azo dyes that can release one of the twenty
named amines”. As in the case of dyeing, printing, colours
should be non-toxic and not based on
Currently the list has been extended to 24 forbidden amines. Dyes with high fixation
amines. The prohibition includes a variety properties and modified printing process
of other commodity goods like leather requiring fewer washouts are
components for furniture, seat covers, etc. recommended in printing. Use of kerosene
The prohibited amines have been in pigment printing has been significantly
categorized as amines of the MAK Group- decreased, but it should be totally
III A1 and III A2.11 removed.
MAK Group III A1 (workplace exposure): The use of urea has also been lessened
Carcinogenic amines: Benzidine, 4-chloro- by substituting it with other ingredients and
o-toluidine, 2-naphtylamine and 4- modifying the printing methods. Citric acid
aminodiphenyl in disperse prints should be substituted by
optional chemicals. For nylon fabric
MAK Group III A2: These materials are printing phenol is utilized to a considerable
tested only on animals and they have extent, therefore it is suitable to replace it
been proved carcinogenic. A variety of by diethylene glycol. Application of
amines in these types are: formaldehyde based on fixers for
a-toluidine, o-dianisidine, o-tolidine, enhancing fastness of pigment prints
o-aminoazotoluene, p-chroanneline, should be limited to decrease free
3' dichlorobenzidine, 2-amino, formaldehyde in final fabric.
4-nitrotoluene and 2, 4-toluylene,
diamine. This group also includes O Finishing
materials that may perhaps produce health
Chemical hazards. Chemical formaldehyde based cross-
formaldehyde
based cross-
linking agents applied to cellulosic textiles
linking agents Some dyes form carcinogenic amines on for crease resistance and dimensional
applied to reduction in dyeing, hence they require to stability are the most toxic chemicals. Free
cellulosic textiles
for crease
be strictly evaded as per stipulation in a formaldehyde may be discharged from
resistance and number of countries, considerably for resin-finished fabrics either because of un-
dimensional increase of BOD/COD. Hence, these dyes responded formaldehyde in the product
stability are the
most toxic
chemicals. 11
MAK is a German term, which stands for Maximale Arbeitsplatz-Konzentration. MAK values pertain to exposure
limits on various substances in different workplace atmospheres. The German listing of MAK Group-III A1 and
A2 includes various carcinogenic materials, most notably amines, that have been banned.
14
in cross-linking or while storage of the studies and reports on air, water and soil
finished fabrics. Many countries set various pollution caused by the textile industry According to the
tolerance limits for free-formaldehyde became widely available, earasing the Sustainable
according to the end use of the treated popular perception of all natural fibres as Cotton Project , a
third of a pound
fabrics or garments. Presence of organic. of pesticides and
formaldehyde in the atmosphere and in other agricultural
wastewater is regarded as highly toxic and Consumer Perceptions chemicals are
used to produce
to overcome this trouble, formaldehyde the cotton for one
scavengers (chemicals that neutralise toxic Today consumer perception equates simple cotton
effects of formaldehyde) are to be used. ecologically friendly fabrics with organic T-shirt.
materials that cause less harm to the
Among the various procedures, finishing environment – cotton and wool produced
presumes significant importance because without synthetic chemicals or pesticides,
the value addition is understood by or hardy, fast-growing plants like bamboo
functional finishing of cotton in fabric or and hemp that are produced with relatively
garment form to reveal advantageous little pesticides or fertilizers.
properties. Some of the most important
finishes are easy care, durable press, Albeit less widely used but also counted in
wrinkle-free finishes, softening and the current spectru-m of eco-friendly
enzyme/bio finishing. textiles are new materials that have been
generated by fresh advances in the
3.2 What is an Eco-Friendly Textile? material sciences – biopolymers made
from corn and soy, including a corn-based
Does “Eco-Friendly” Equal Cotton fibre called Ingeo by Cargill that is now
being used by Versace and other
Until the 1990s, many consumers and designers, soy fibre, and lyocell
manufacturers believed that oil-based (produce--d from wool-pulp cellulose).
synthetic fibres such as polyester and nylon
would cause the most harm to the Defining Eco-Friendly Textile The varying
definitions of what
environment and that cotton, a natural specifically
material, would obviously be an Although the toxic substances are widely constitutes an eco-
environment-friendly textile. Studies known to be hazardous to the friendly textile are
environment, their use has become usually:
conducted in the early 90s proved
intrinsic to industrialised and even, cottage product based:
otherwise.
limited to
industry based, textile production. environmental
According to the Sustainable Cotton Therefore, if the definition of an eco- impact of the
Project12, one third of a pound of pesticides friendly textile was to state that none of product's use and
its disposal, or/
and other agricultural chemicals are used these hazardous substances must be and
to produce the cotton for one simple cotton present in the textile or used during its process related:
T-shirt. Then ammonia, formaldehyde and production, only 100% organic, hand- consideration of
other chemicals are used to process and technique based, natural-dye-utilising the entire life cycle
of the product,
finish it. Many of these chemicals are textiles would qualify. thereby including
known or suspected carcinogens. raw material
According to the Pesticide Action Network, However, such an approach is utterly purist production,
thereby automatically excluding the bulk spinning,
cotton accounts for 22% of all insecticides weaving, knitting,
used - about US$2.5 billion worth of the textile industry and preventing dyeing, printing,
worldwide each year.13 Likewise, numerous achievable targets for the ‘greening’ of the finishing, making
textile industry as a whole. up, packaging,
distribution, use,
disposal
12
“About Us.” Sustainable Cotton Project. 2010 <http://www.sustainablecotton.org/html/who_we_are.html>.
13
Cortese, Amy. “Wearing Eco-Politics on Your Sleeve.” Organic Consumers Association. 20 March 2005. Grist
Magazine. 2009 <http://www.organicconsumers.org/clothes/ecofriend032205.cfm>.
15
Therefore, despite the lack of a single, When looking at variety of materials

globally standardised, definition of an eco- considered “environmentally-friendly,” you
friendly textile, most countries and eco- need to look at them comprehensively. The
labels cover a rather wide spectrum of first question is what is the renewability of
natural and manmade textiles and textile the product. Renewable resources are
processes, with varying ceilings on items that can be replenished in a relatively
pollution levels and chemical content. short amount of time (as opposed to
millennia).
The varying definitions of what specifically
constitutes an eco-friendly textile are The second factor to consider is the
usually: ecological footprint of the resource - how
much land (usually measured in acres) it
• product based: limited to takes to bring one of the individuals (plants
environmental impact of the product’s or animals) to full growth and support it.
use and its disposal, and/or
• process related: consideration of the Thirdly, it is important to consider in
entire life cycle of the product, thereby determining the eco-friendliness of a
including raw material production, particular product is how many chemicals
Additionally, in spinning, weaving, knitting, dyeing, it requires to grow/process it to make it
some definitions printing, finishing, making up, ready for market.
social aspects of
production like packaging, distribution, use, disposal
"no child labour," Eco-friendly Textiles.
"no sweatshops," Below is the criteria for determining eco-
"fair wages," "fair HEMP
trade," and "safe
friendliness, which is stipulated at specific
working stages of textile production. By far, hemp is the crop with the most
conditions" are potential as an eco-friendly textile. The
also applied. ecological footprint of hemp is
• Textile fibre: Limitation of toxic residue
in fibre, reduction of air and water considerably smaller than that of most
pollution during fibre process other plants considered for their fibres.
Hemp plants grow very quickly and
• Processes and chemicals: Bans or densely which makes it difficult for
limitations on formaldehyde, toxic weeds to take hold, eliminating the need
pesticides, pentachlorophenol (PCP), for herbicides and chemical fertilizers.
heavy metal traces; bans on azo dyes It requires no irrigation as it thrives on
which release carcinogenic amines, the amount of water in the average
halogen carriers and chlorine rainfall, and it is highly pest-resistant.
bleaching; lower energy consumption
= Lower carbon footprint Hemp has naturally long fibres which
makes it suitable for spinning with a
• Product use: Colour fastness during minimum of processing. Those fibres
perspiration, washing, rubbing, are also long-lasting; historically hemp
drying, exposure to light. Limitation on has been used for making naval ropes
dimensional changes during washing that were used in and around water
and drying and recyclable/ because they resist rot. If it held up to
biodegradable those conditions, imagine how well it
will wear as a pair of jeans, or a shirt.
Additionally, in some definitions social
aspects of production like “no child WOOL
labour,” “no sweatshops,” “fair wages,” Wool is produced by caring farmers can
“fair trade,” and “safe working conditions” be a wonderful resource, with a few
are also applied. caveats. Sheep graze plants almost to
16
the dirt, and there is the issue of the BAMBOO

manure entering into the water supply.
Highly renewable grass and it is
Factory-farmed sheep (as with any
probably this property that has resulted
factory-farmed animals) live miserable
in its being classified as “eco-friendly”.
lives where the handlers are concerned
It also has natural antibacterial
with productivity and speed. Then there
properties and the fabric “breathes”.
is the matter of bleaching the wool to
The resultant cloth is biodegradable.
get it white, or dyeing it, but with a
responsible eco-friendly manufacturer
FORTREL EcoSpun™
most of these issues can be overcome.
It is a polyester fibre made out of
recycled plastic bottles which can be
ORGANIC COTTON
made into fleece. Manufacturing this
It is much more environmentally friendly fibre is preferable to creating new
than the traditional variety as it uses no petroleum-based fibres, and given the
pesticides, herbicides, or insecticides sheer amount of plastic bottles in
during the growing cycle. There are existence, finding a new use for them is
many growers of this crop, and the a plus. The fleece that is created is prized
number is steadily increasing. Usually by backpackers for its warmth and
manufacturers using this plant to make durability.
textiles follow up the process by using
natural dyes to further reduce the PEACE SILK
amount of chemicals dumped into our It is the only silk, which allows as part
ecosystem. of the production process the silkworm
to live a full life after emerging from
Even more promising is a new kind of the cocoon (used to extract the silk). The
cotton that is grown in the tradition of silk has an appearance of wool mixed
the Aztecs - coloured cotton. Sally Fox, with cotton but is soft and exquisite. This
a biologist, 14 managed to grow it along with its thermal properties makes
naturally in shades of green and brown. it perfect for duvet covers and quilts.
It has the added benefit of not fading Peace silk is also breathable, lightweight
(in colour) and in fact, it gets more and long lasting. Additionally, unlike
vibrant after being washed a few times. most silks, this variety can be home
washed, thus making it an easy care
SOY SILK item.
Soy Silk is made from the by-products
of the tofu-making process. The 3.3 Regulating Eco-Friendliness
liquefied proteins are extruded into
fibres which are then spun, and used International Governmental Regulation of
like any other fibre (woven, knitted, etc.). the Textile Sector
INGEO™ CORN FIBRE by Dow
Chemical Company is created by Many countries have adopted
extracting the starch and then sugars environmental standards and
from corn, and processing them to requirements restricting the use of harmful
make a fibre, which can be spun into a chemicals in the production of textile and
yarn or woven into fabric. clothing – these are mandatory and
imposed by various laws and regulations.
14
Brown, David. “Sally Fox: Innovation in the Field- Inventing Modern America, From the Microwave to the
Mouse.” Foxfibre. 2001 <http://www.vreseis.com/sally_fox_story.htm>.
17
Case Study: Ban on Azo Dyes based +70 azo dyes, such as 112 dyes,
which are capable of releasing any of
One of the earliest and the best known the harmful amines. The prohibition
ban is the ‘Second Amendments to the covers the manufacture, processing,
Consumer Protection Act’ issued by the treatment, package, storage,
German government in 1994 making transportation, use, collection,
the use of azo dyes a criminal offence. destruction, conversion, offering for
Azo dyes, used extensively in textile sale, transfer or the like of such
dyeing processes, were found to contain substance.
as many as 20 cancer-causing aromatic
amines. The Ministry of Environment and Forests
The 1994 law prohibited the use of azo gave 60 days notice to those likely “to
dyes in textile products that have direct be affected by the proposed ban” to file
skin contact for prolonged periods, such their objections.16 The proposed ban
as textile garments (even outerwear) and would put these dyes out of the reach
bath towels. It also prohibited the sale of the highly decentralised dyeing and
of any textile products, the printing or processing, industry. This would help the
dyeing of which produced any of the textile and leather industry to comply
banned amines. Two more aromatic with the ever-increasing demand for
amines, which are suspected by the eco-friendly and safe clothes in the
Health Committee of EU to have cancer- major importing countries of the West.
causing effects, were also blacklisted
subsequently, raising the number of The European Union is also taking the
banned amines to 22. necessary steps to enforce eco-
standards for textiles by December
The ban was also extended to pigments 2011. By 1 December 2011, producers
based on the banned amines. The and exporters will have to notify the
German Ministry of Health also finalised European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) if
a test method for quantification of azo their goods contain hazardous
dyes in natural and artificial fibres properties of a substance (including
(cotton, silk, wool, and viscose) and a dyes and pigments) listed in the
ceiling of 30 ppm was fixed for candidate list, from the new law
declaring a product ‘azo-free’.15 “Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation
Shortly afterwards, France and and Restriction of Chemical Substances
Netherlands followed Germany ’s (REACH).” The law into force in June
example and banned the dyes. 2007 and is being rolled out in phases.
In May 1996 the Ministry of Environment In addition, enterprises manufacturing

and Forests, GoI went further and or importing more than one tonne of a
prohibited the handling of 70 more azo chemical substance per year are
dyes, which came under the banned required to register the chemical in a
category as per the notification central database. The aim of REACH is
published in the Gazette on 26 March to replace these potentially hazardous
1997. substances with safer alternatives
whenever possible. The ECHA is
The Ministry of Environment and Forests authorized to define restrictions for the
prohibited the handling of 42 benzedine use of specific chemicals.17
15
Nadiger, G. S. and J. Samuel, editors. “Chapter 1: Textiles and Eco-labels.” Compendium on Eco Labels: 1st
Edition. New Delhi: Textiles Committee, 2006. 2..
16
“Dressed to Kill No More.” India Environment Portal. 14 May 1996. Down to Earth. 2009 <http://
www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/node/33949>.
17
“EU Eco-Compliance on Chemicals Arouse Concerns in India.” 18 September 2009. Adsale Industry Portal.
2009 <http://www.adsaleata.com/Publicity/MarketNews/lang-eng/article-91595/Article.aspx>.
18
Indian Governmental Regulation January 1990. The notification was CTC is widely
published in the Gazette of the Ministry of used as a
degreasing and
In India, the regulatory framework- Environment and Forests, India As per this cleaning agent in
governing the compliance of textile notification, as of 1993 the handling of the dry-cleaning
manufacturing units with environmental all 42 benzidine based dyes is prohibited. and textile
industries. Every
norms has been in place for many years.18
year, Indian textile
The Ministry of Environment and Forests, Information Dissemination Efforts and industry consumes
Government of India and the State Infrastructure Development more than 1,500
Governments are responsible for the tons of (CTC) to
remove stains
formulation of regulations and the The Textiles Committee, a statutory body from garments,
monitoring of the industry’s compliance under the Ministry of Textiles, has been cleaning or
to such regulations. The Pollution Control degreasing of
seminal in sensitising the Indian textile
metal parts and
Board has laid down a number of norms industry to the implications of the azo ban. machinery
regarding permissible ceilings for air and The Ministry of Textiles under the Textile servicing the
water pollution as well as effluent Committee, Textile Research Associations garment-making
machinery.19
discharge. (TRA), and Indian Institute of Technology
(IIT) has set up 22 laboratories capable of
Phasing Out CTC and CFC testing textiles, chemicals and dyes for the
presence of any banned substance.20
In 1992, India became a signatory of the
Montreal Protocol, which calls for global Due to the various measures initiated by
cooperation in environmental protection. the Government of India for preventing
This formally committed the Textile the use of harmful dyes and auxiliaries by
Committee, Pollution Board and the the textile industry, importers are not
Ozone Cell of the Ministry of Environment insisting on test reports clearing each
and Forests to the phasing out of CTC consignment of textiles shipped from India
(Carbon Tetrachloride) and CFC (Chloro as amine-free. Instead, an undertaking or
Fluoro Carbons). declaration by the exporter is deemed
sufficient.
CTC is widely used as a degreasing and
cleaning agent in the dry-cleaning and Similarly, large quantities of textiles are
textile industries. Every year, Indian textile also imported into India. In order to ensure
industry consumes more than 1,500 tons imported textiles are not dyed with any of
of (CTC) to remove stains from garments, the 112 dyes prohibited by the
cleaning or degreasing of metal parts and Government, the Director General of
machinery servicing the garment-making Foreign Trade (DGFT), in May 2001 issued
machinery.19 a public notice No. 12 (RE 2001) 1997-
2000 for the testing of all the textile
Ban on Benzidine-Based Dyes consignments in the eco-laboratories
selected by the Textile Committee and
The Ministry of Environment and Forests, Central Silk Board.21
Government of India has also prohibited
the handling of benzidine-based dyes. In
18
Provisions under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974; Provisions under the Air (Prevention
and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981; Provisions under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986; Provisions under
the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986; National Environmental Policy, 2006 for development of standards
(for more details see http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/Guidelines_loaction_stringent_std.pdf)
19
“India:TexCom and GTZ to Launch Training Programme on CTC Substitutes.” 16 December 2005. fibre2fashion.
2009<http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/textile-news/newsdetails.aspx?news_id=9831>.
20
Edition. New Delhi: Textiles Committee, 2006. 3.
21
19
Compliance with Have Regulations Worked in India and coloured and are often toxic.
the azo ban has
Unfortunately, the majority of the textile
had mixed results.
This is because Compliance with the azo ban has had industries, especially the smaller units, are
dye substitutes are mixed results. This is because dye not treating their effluents properly and the
2.5 times more untreated or partially treated effluents are
substitutes are 2.5 times more expensive
expensive than the
azo dyes than the azo dyes previously used and azo- discharged into water bodies or on land
previously used free dyeing increased production costs by and sometimes the effluent is used for
and azo-free 15-20%.22 Due to the significant increase irrigation.
dyeing increased
production costs in production costs involved, it has been
by 15-20%.22 noted that compliance is usually occurring In many clusters around the country, textile
only in larger units which cater to export effluents have caused serious
markets that have very strict requirements environmental impacts on local aquatic
viz. labels, fair trade certification, etc., like bio-diversity impacting fisheries, on local
countries in Europe or in the United States. water sources for human use as well as
Smaller units, unable to make this sort of irrigation thus affecting human health as
investment, are forced to shift to other well as agriculture.
markets such as Africa where the eco-
norms are not stringent. Most of the small units are using traditional
processing technology, which are not
In 1999, the Textiles Committee conducted environment friendly. Cleaner production
a study to assess the presence of banned (CP) technology like soft flow machines has
azo-dyes in Indian textiles meant for a lot of scope in textile processing.
exports as well as sale in the domestic However, since the soft flow machine is
market. Of the 2,845 textile samples, ten times costlier than the traditional winch,
meant for exports tested in the Textile it is not affordable for the small units. In
Committee/TRAs laboratories it was found order to meet the standards set by the
that only 4% contained banned amines. Pollution Control Boards, textile production
In the case of textiles intended for domestic units have to make large investments in
consumption, the study found that roughly technology up gradation and expertise.
7% of the samples contained banned Likewise, they also have to pay to obtain
amines. Although these figures may show certifications and to avail of testing and
a significant improvement from the early accreditation services.
1990s, dyes containing the banned
In many clusters
around the amines are still in circulation in India and Despite the existence of stringent
country, textile the textile industry is still not complying environmental laws and regulations,
effluents have completely with the existing laws.23 compliance by the Indian textile industry
caused serious
environmental
(especially processing units) has overall
impacts on local Compliance with Governmental been rather poor. This is primarily because
aquatic bio- Regulations on Environmental Pollution the costs have gone up but price realisation
diversity impacting has not kept pace, making investing in
fisheries, on local
water sources for Most textile production centres in India greener technology and processes
human use as well utilise wet processing techniques unprofitable, especially for producer
as irrigation thus groups and manufacturers whose
affecting human
(bleaching and dyeing), which use huge
health as well as quantities of water and different chemicals. operations are either small or medium
agriculture. The effluents discharged by the units are scale or cater to the domestic market
generally hot, alkaline, strong smelling where eco-requirements are not yet
particularly stringent.
22
Mangalam, Shaju. “Eco-labelling Challenges and Opportunities for Indian Textile Industry.” Presentation at
National Eco-labelling Workshop, Jaipur, India- 23 June 2008 <http://fr1.estis.net/includes/file.asp?site=eco-
label&file=7741FDDA-1983-4E8E-9DD2-06E7ED9806CD>.
23
Edition. New Delhi: Textiles Committee, 2006. 3
20
If compliance is to be more widespread, safeguard their own local industries. Thus,

manufacturers of dyes, chemicals and many nations have introduced tariff peaks
textiles as well as processing units need to and tariff escalations in the textile and
be educated further regarding the garment sector. Further, non-tariff barriers
regulations and assisted in conversion to – most significantly, eco-labels – have also
non-polluting materials and processes (the been introduced. Many developed
assistance may take the form of technical countries have also created their own eco-
support, infrastructure-building assistance labelling schemes and have evolved their
and/or credit facilities, as found own norms for awarding eco-certification.
appropriate in context specific studies).
Simultaneously, published research has
The highly decentralised nature of the expanded consumer awareness regarding
Indian textile industry makes enforcing the environmental impact of various
legislation difficult. Further, due to its products and product components.
fragmented and small-scale operations, Among them are studies on textiles, which
individual treatment plants in every indicated that substances used in textile
Such increases in
company are not feasible. Common production processes as well as the
consumer
effluent treatment plants have been residues from fertilisers and pesticides used awareness - in the
proposed as a potential solution – for fibre cultivation could have adverse textile sector as
Common Effluent Treatment effects on the health of the wearer, well as others -
have led to the
Plants (CETPs). CETPs have accordingly especially infants and children. emergence of
been set up in a few clusters but are to "green" market
find widespread approval. Such increases in consumer awareness – segments. The
emergence of the
in the textile sector as well as others – have green consumer
In addition, state governments and local led to the emergence of “green” market helped force
authorities need to facilitate eco - segments. The emergence of the green companies to look
into the impact on
compliance by textile manufacturers and consumer helped force companies to look the environment
processing units by way of infrastructural into the impact on the environment of their of their operations
support; such as by supplying enough operations and products. Many companies and products.
quality water and earmarking suitable have tried to win customers by capitalising
areas for Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs) on their concern for the environment.
and dumping of sludge24. Legislations by However, they often do this by only
the Ministry of Environment and Forests changing their style rather than substance.
also requires a critical re-examination of Consumers were bombarded by labels
its coverage as well as enforcement. The declaring products as “eco-friendly,”
roles of the various government “environmentally safe,” “recyclable,”
organisations involved in the monitoring “biodegradable,” “ozone-friendly,” “safe
and enforcement process need to be for landfills,” “reusable,” “green,”
clearly delineated. “organic,” “natural,” etc.
3.4 Eco-Labels A 1996 study by Consumers International

found many instances of misleading
Globalization has unalterably transformed environmental claims in Central and
the patterns of production and Eastern Europe. A study by three United
consumption of textile and clothing States universities found that terms such
products. Unable to compete against the as “environment-friendly’ were being used
economies offered by emerging thrice more often in 1995 than 1992.25
economies, many developed countries As a result, third-party certification in the
have adopted protectionist strategies to form of eco-labels was born as a means
24
“New Directions.” The Hindu, Bangalore 22 February 2008
25
“The Colour of Money.” Down to Earth 15 April 1998.
21
of providing environmentally conscious manufacturers to move towards

consumers with reliable information “green’” technologies and materials
regarding the environmental impact of the but the resultant products are often
products they are purchasing. priced higher than comparable non-
eco friendly products. The additional
The world’s first eco-labelling was initiated costs coupled with doubts regarding
by Germany in 1978. Canada, Japan, the genuineness of the manufacturer’s
and the United States established eco- claim of eco-friendliness deter many
labelling schemes in the late 1980s. Many consumers. Eco-labels provide some
other governments, along with privately- measure of validation to the
operated labels were launched during the manufacturer and assure customers of
1990s. Today, eco-labelling is being the authenticity of the product.
implemented in more than 30 countries.
O Improved product quality: Eco-labels
Usefulness of Eco-Labels take into consideration the use of the
textile or product and address issues
Labels, as well as labelling programmes, such as textile shrink resistance and
serve a variety of purposes and target colour resistance, which translate into
different audiences. These include: better and more durable products for
the consumer.
O Provision of business-to-business
information: Material Safety Data O Competitive advantage: Eco-labels
Sheets (MSDS), hazard create a positive brand image among
communication schemes, etc. provide consumers thereby allowing a
business-to-business product-specific competitive advantage (and possibly
environmental information to compelling other businesses to follow
industrial customers/workers on the suit).
health, safety and environmental
effects of the products they purchase/ O Improved environmental and health
use. They also encourage the performance: Eco-labels have also
purchasing parties to use and dispose been far more successful than
The world's first of these products appropriately to regulations and laws in effecting
eco-labelling was reduce waste and minimises their environmental and health protection
initiated by
Germany in 1978. functional impact on human health as well as pollution control. Most eco-
Canada, Japan, and environment. labels have stringent criteria, thereby
and the United impelling manufacturers to design and
States established
eco-labelling
O Enhancing market opportunities: In the develop environmentally friendly
schemes in the context of the retail market, eco-labels products and to reduce their carbon
late 1980s. Many serve as a tool by which businesses footprint.
other
governments,
can reinforce or identify and establish
along with niche markets. This is especially true O Financial savings: Improvement and
privately-operated of the export market in which, process optimization over the life-cycle
labels were
following the liberalization of the textile results in savings on water, chemicals
launched during
the 1990s. Today, market in 2005, eco-labels are seen and energy utilization which in turn
eco-labelling is to offer a potential market advantage translate into substantial long term
being for those seeking to maintain exports savings for the manufacturer.
implemented in
more than 30 to European countries where high
countries. value is accorded on the evidence of O Steps towards ISO 14001 and ISO
sound ecological processing. 9000: When product eco-labelling is
an integral part of quality control
O Generating consumer awareness: procedures, it is easier to implement
Market forces have impelled ISO 14000 and ISO 9000 systems.
22
O Facilitate increasing environmental Consideration of “fitness of purpose” and

friendliness in the long term: Generally, overall performance is factored in once
eco-labelling criteria are set to reward comparable quality and performance of
only the top environmental performers the product under consideration has been
in a product category. Most programs established. Therefore, it is important that
gradually and incrementally raise eco-labels address the quality and
standards to encourage producers performance of a product that is to be
and service providers to keep pace considered for eco-labelling without which
with new and emerging performance the credibility of the eco-label and labelling
improvement opportunities and programme can suffer.
market shifts.
Sound scientific and engineering principles
How Eco-Labels Work26 are necessary and the criteria stipulated
by the label must be credible, relevant,
Consideration of the life-cycle analysis attainable and verifiable.
(LCA) of a product commencing with
extraction or acquisition of raw materials, Independent verification is critical,
production, distribution, utilisation and requiring a credible eco -labelling
maintenance, and concluding with the program, which is operated by an
disposal after utilisation, are assessed. organisation independent of vested Sound scientific
commercial interests. All stakeholders and engineering
Transportation of materials and finished principles are
goods, use/re-use/recycling of waste should find adequate representation in the necessary and the
materials and energy supply systems are programme. criteria stipulated
also included in this analysis. by the label must
be credible,
Open and accountable process is relevant,
Such studies assist companies in critically important at each step of the certification attainable and
reviewing all aspects of their operations process. Fair, consistent and uniformly verifiable.
and integrating energy-efficiency into their applied procedures must be established.
overall decision-making process. LCA Public access to criteria review is an
encourages careful product scrutiny and essential feature of an open process.
is deemed the scientific way to advice
customers about the environmental Finally, environmental award criteria and
burdens of the product. categories must keep pace with
technological and market changes.
“Human ecology’ is considered because
the product is tested for toxic/allergenic Implementation of Eco-Labels27
compounds that are detrimental to human
health. Environmental health hazard such At application, the applicant must report
as ozone depletion or pollution caused by the trade names and identification or
the product are also included within the reference numbers of the products in
scope of these tests. Certain labels also question. All chemicals used for the eco
target social concerns such as child labour labelled product must be reported in the
in their award criteria. application, as well. When the Competent
26
“ISO Standards.” 2009. International Organization for Standarization (ISO). <http://www.iso.org/iso/
iso_catalogue.htm>.
27
Commission’s Decision of 15 May 2002 establishing the ecological criteria for the award of the Community
eco-label to textile products’ (2002/371/EC) (“Commission Decision of 15 December 2008 amending Decisions
2001/405/EC, 2002/255/EC, 2002/371/EC, 2002/740/EC, 2002/741/EC, 2005/341/EC and 2005/343/
EC in order to Prolong The Validity of the Ecological Criteria for the Award of the Community Eco-Label to
Certain Products.” 19 December 2008. European Union. <http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/
LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2008:340:0115:0116:EN:PDF>.)
23
Body has processed the application, a The necessary test frequency depends on
contract specifying range of products and the way of production it must be explained
chemicals permitted is granted. how often samples for test are taken. For
criteria where the annual average is not
It is recommended at the time of allowed to pass a given threshold, the
application to limit the number of annual average should as a minimum be
chemicals and suppliers as far as possible, based on three measurements.
as this will ease the application procedure
for the applicant considerably. In case the Continuous control is the responsibility of
contract holder wants to extend his range the applicant towards product
of products, certain conditions need to be performance, which complies with the eco-
met. labelling criteria. After an eco-label has
been granted, the applicant must keep the
The applicant for all relevant criteria must dossier up to date. In case where continued
compile documentation. For this purpose, tests or measurements are required the
the manual contains pre-made forms of contract holder or his supplier is
declarations and test reports stating the responsible for keeping a journal on the
information needed. Two different levels test results and the corresponding
for declarations are often used, documentation. This documentation needs
declarations from the applicant/producer not to be sent to the Competent Body, but
and declarations from the supplier. All must be available at any time, if requested.
relevant documentation has to be sent to
the Competent Body together with the Control with compliance of criteria to be
application. undertaken with both the product group
criteria and the terms of use and provisions
Choice of analytical laboratory to do of the contract. To this end, the Competent
analysis of chemicals and emissions to be Body may request, and the holder shall
carried out by laboratories, which are provide, any relevant documentation to
accredited in accordance with the prove such compliance. Further, the
requirements in ISO 17025 or its Competent Body may, at any reasonable
equivalent. Alternatively, the used time and without notice, request, and the
laboratory has to be accepted by the holder shall grant, access to the premises.
Competent Body. The applicant must give
information on the laboratory used Costs towards all expenses for tests and
including whether the laboratory is verifications related to the application,
accredited according to the above- holding and use of the eco-label to be
mentioned standard. borne by the applicant.
The choice of test method indicated in the
The procedure for assessing the
criteria document and manual should in
application is examined by the Competent
principle be used for testing. Test methods
Body that includes possible material sent
different from those reported in the criteria
directly from the suppliers. The Competent
could be accepted only if it can be
Body can ask for further information, if
substantiated that it is equivalent to the
necessary. After all documentation has
required method. For those criteria where
been approved, the Competent Body
no specific test method is required the
carries out an on-site visit to the applicant
applicant must give information on the
and/or his/her suppliers. When all
principles and sensitivity of the test method
requirements have been met, the
used.
Competent Body notifies the application
Test periods and test frequency is
to the Certifying agency who registers the
responsibility of the contract holder to
contract.
ensure that products are in continuous
compliance with the eco-labelling criteria.
24
Comparative Sampling of Various Eco- O SKAL India - a branch of “Control

Labels Union World Group,” a Netherland
based private company, issues 200
There are several eco-labels, each with organic certifications and 250 textile
their own criteria, scope, and certifying certifications The most stringent
body. They are listed below O Austrian Eco-label (1991) – National eco-label criteria
are attributed to
Austrian label for textile floor coverings
the German/
O Blue Angel (1978) – National German Austrian eco-
label, is the oldest eco-label The most stringent eco-label criteria are labels (e.g.,
attributed to the German/Austrian eco- NaturTextil IVN).
O EU Flower (1992) - Multinational label
NaturTextil
for textile products, used by 83 labels (e.g., NaturTextil IVN). NaturTextil formulates
companies formulates environmental criteria, social environmental
criteria as well as quality criteria. In criteria, social
O Nordic Swan Eco-label (1989) – criteria as well as
Multinational label for textiles and addition, the highest quality labels (such quality criteria. In
washable diapers as NaturTextil) have environmental criteria, addition, the
which already cover the early stages of highest quality
O Oeko-Tex standard 100 - Germany labels (such as
production, namely standards on organic NaturTextil) have
and Institutional label, used by 20,000
production of textile raw materials. environmental
companies criteria, which
O Eco Mark (1991) – National Indian The criteria for product types set the already cover the
early stages of
label from baby clothing, adult standards for clothing. Within the category production,
clothing, home textiles, stockings and of clothing, the standard for baby clothes namely standards
hessians is the highest. Moreover, the standards for on organic
production of
O Eco-mark (1989) – National Japanese clothing (underwear) are stricter in textile raw
label for cloth diapers (used for 24 comparison with top clothing (e.g., a coat materials.
products and nine companies), or a hat), because under clothing is in
unbleached clothes, bed linen and direct contact with the skin. In making such
towels (used for 68 products by 55 distinctions in the environmental criteria,
companies), cloth shopping bags the German/Austrian eco-labels lead with
(used for 53 products by 27 the Öko-tex label. 28
companies), textiles made of waste
fibres (used for 122 products by 91 The Indian Eco Mark
companies), and clothing made of
used PET Polyethylene terephthalate) The Indian government launched a
resin voluntary eco-labelling scheme named
O Green Mark (1992) – National “Eco Mark” in February 199129 with the
Taiwanese label for cloth diapers and earthen pot or matka as the symbol. The
non-bleached towels launch of the scheme was driven by
O Green Label (1994) – National Thai concerns about adverse environmental
label for products made from cloth impact of consumer products, especially
The Indian
in disposal of garbage. The scheme also
O Environmental choice (1991) – government
seeks to encourage sustainable launched a
National label for Australia and New
management of resources and thereby voluntary eco-
Zealand for wool carpets labelling scheme
improve the quality of the environment. It
KELA (1994) – National Korean label named "Eco Mark"
O
also was designed to meet the need for in February 1991
used for seven clothing products by with the earthen
three companies) pot or matka is
the symbol.
28
De Jonghe, Frederik. “Eco-labels for textile products’.” 2009. Hogeschool West-Vlaanderen. 2009 <http://
dspace.howest.be/bitstream/10046/534/3/abstract.pdf>.
29
The Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India instituted a scheme on labelling of
Environment Friendly Products through Gazette Notification No. 71, 21 February 1991 <http://
www.mppcb.nic.in/ecomark.htm>.
25
clear and credible guidance regards The general product requirements

products that are eco-friendly. stipulated by the Eco Mark address:
Eco Mark is similar in many ways to eco- O compliance with the pollution control
labels of other countries. However, it differs norms set out by the Pollution Control
in one important aspect -eco-labels are Board and the Environment Protection
awarded for consumer products that meet Act
the environmental criteria. The Indian Eco-
mark is awarded for products that meet O raise environmental awareness
both environmental and quality criteria of among consumers
Indian standards. Eco-labelling of eco- O safety, quality and performance of the
friendly services are not included under products
the scheme.30
The stipulations examine the entire
Unlike the EU Flower Mark, the criteria for production process including the32:
the Indian Eco Mark are not very specific.
The basic criteria covers broadly both O source of raw materials
environmental aspects and quality.
However, at the production level it is more O use of natural resources
specific. The environmental assessment O likely impact of the product on the
for the product states explains that the environment
product:
Eco Mark is O energy conservation in the production
similar in many O should have substantially less potential of the product
ways to eco-labels for pollution than other comparable
of other countries.
However, it differs
products in production, usage and O affect and extent of waste arising from
in one important disposal the production process
aspect -eco-labels
are awarded for O should be recycled, recyclable, made O disposal of the product and its
consumer from recycled products or bio- container
products that meet
the environmental degradable, where comparable
criteria. The products are not O utilisation of “waste” and recycled
Indian Eco-mark materials
is awarded for O should make significant contribution
products that meet
to saving non-renewable resources O suitability for recycling or packaging
both
environmental including non-renewable energy O biodegradability of the product
and quality sources and natural resources
criteria of Indian compared with comparable products
standards The three committees involved in
O must contribute to a reduction of the developing the criteria development and
adverse primary criteria which has the awarding of Eco Mark are the Steering
highest environmental impact Committee, Ministry of Environment and
associated with the use of the product, Forests, the Technical Committee, Central
and which will be specifically set for Pollution Control Board, and the Sectional
each of the product categories31 Committees of the Bureau of Indian
Standards (BIS) and/or Directorate of
30
Mehta, Pradeep S. “The Indian experience with the Eco-Mark: lessons learnt and steps
Forward.” Presentation at National eco-labeliing Workshop, Jaipur, India- 23 June 2008 <http://fr1.estis.net/
includes/file.asp?site=eco-label&file=8F67E40F-AF5F-4418-B0EB-ECB5C7FE4CBD>.
31
“Eco-Mark Schemes of India.” Central Pollution Control Board. National Law School of India University,
Bangalore, 2009 <http://www.nls.ac.in/CEERA/ceerafeb04/html/documents/ecomarkindia.htm>.
32
“Eco-Mark Schemes of India.” Central Pollution Control Board. National Law School of India University,
Bangalore, 2009 <http://www.nls.ac.in/CEERA/ceerafeb04/html/documents/ecomarkindia.htm>.
26
Marketing.33 Because of this three-tiered India has not a single Eco-mark certified
bureaucratic system34, implementation of producer of textiles. Producers feel the Eco
the Eco Mark scheme is rather complex. Mark does not give them any perceptible
benefit as there is limited consumer
The Steering Committee initially decides awareness regarding the Eco Mark, the
the category of products for coverage application process and criteria
under the Scheme. Then the Technical requirements are cumbersome and
Committee or sub-committees set up by difficult.38
the Technical Committee develop the
desired criteria. The draft criterion is Further, producers generally feel the Eco
placed before the Steering Committee for Mark is not globally recognised and will
comments. The comments are sent back therefore not be accepted as sufficient
to the Technical Committee. The revised certification by their overseas clients.
draft is then sent to the Steering Committee Therefore, given the fact that there is
who notifies it for public comments. The insufficient demand for eco-friendly
Technical Committee includes these products in the internal market and no
comments and finalises the criteria. The public recognition of the Eco Mark,
criteria list is returned to Steering manufactures do not consider investment
Committee for final notification. The BIS, in a label worthwhile.
finally translates the product specific
However, the Ministry of Environment and
specifications into Indian Standards for the
Forest is earnestly working to revive the
Eco Mark certification.
scheme in the light of the National
Eco Mark and the Lack of Popularity Environment Policy Statement of India
Among Indian Textile Manufacturers adopted in 2006. The policy recognizes
the role of eco-labels in promoting
In spite of being in existence for 16 years, conservation of environment. It also states
the Indian eco-label has not really caught that action would be taken to formulate
on with buyers. Currently, only 12 “Good Practice Guidelines” for eco-labels
manufacturers in India have been to enhance their scientific basis,
awarded the Eco Markfor products such transparency and requirements of
as paper, paper pulp and paper board.35 participation, and at the same time
However, not a single product carries the promote the mutual recognition of Indian
mark. Godrej Soaps was awarded the and foreign eco-labels, which adhere to
mark for their brand Eezee but has the Good Practice Guidelines, to ensure
subsequently allowed its license to lapse.36 that Indian exporters enhance their market In spite of being
in existence for 16
According to the 2006 version of access at lower costs.39 years, the Indian
“Compendium on Eco -Labels” the eco-label has not
numbers of textile companies certified really caught on
with buyers.
under ISO 14000 in India are near 20.37 Currently, only 12
manufacturers in
India have been
33
It should be noted that there are two consumer groups in the Steering and Technical Committees of this three awarded the Eco
tier implementation system but not a single environmental group is included Markfor products
34
For more information about the composition and role of the various committees involved, see “Ecomark.” such as paper,
Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board, 2009 <http://www.mppcb.nic.in/ecomark.htm>. paper pulp and
35
Mehta, Pradeep S. “The Indian experience with the Eco-Mark: lessons learnt and steps paper board.
Forward.” Presentation at National eco-labeliing Workshop, Jaipur, India- 23 June 2008 <http://fr1.estis.net/ However, not a
includes/file.asp?site=eco-label&file=8F67E40F-AF5F-4418-B0EB-ECB5C7FE4CBD>. single product
36
“The Colour of Money.” Down to Earth 15 April 1998. carries the mark.
37
38
Mehta, Pradeep S. “The Indian experience with the Eco-Mark: lessons learnt and steps
Forward.” Presentation at National eco-labeliing Workshop, Jaipur, India- 23 June 2008 <http://fr1.estis.net/
includes/file.asp?site=eco-label&file=8F67E40F-AF5F-4418-B0EB-ECB5C7FE4CBD>.
39
Thumbarathy Balakrishnan, Simi. “Eco-Labelling Indian Textiles.” ESTIS. CUTS International, 2009 http://
fr1.estis.net/sites/eco-label/default.asp?site=eco-label&page_id=7B235227-39B0-4F5D -9867-
EA621BAFEEBC>. 27
Compliance with Foreign Eco-Label The most wide-spread labelling scheme

Regulations for Indian textile is the German Oeko-Tex
certification which can be judged an ‘ISO
The most wide- type I like’ label taking mostly health
spread labelling The competitive nature of the global
scheme for Indian market has made many retailers aspects into account. According to the
textile is the rationalise their supplier base to include Indian National country study the label
German Oeko-Tex brought several market advantages to
certification which
only those producers who can meet the
can be judged an demanding requirements for quality, price Indian textile industries. The marketing
'ISO type I like' and turnaround times without department could get an 8-10 percent
label taking higher price due to Oeko-Tex and overall
mostly health
compromising on environment and social
aspects into standards. Brand value is becoming quality improvements form their buyers.
account. increasingly central to many clothing Additionally, the market widened by 10%
retailers and consequently, protecting their in the first year. In June 2007, there were
reputations against allegations of poor 274 manufacturers in India with Oeko-
environmental or social practice along the Tex certificates selling their products
supply chain. These factors, combined with worldwide.40
a fear of losing export markets is proving
to be one of the major motivations for The EU REACH plan, being rolled out in
companies to shift towards phases and intended to be enforced by
environmentally benign and socially December 2011 is slated to have
responsible processes and materials. significant implication on exports of
apparel, textiles and textile polymers from
It has also prompted a small percentage India to the EU. Indian players are advised
of the Indian textile industry to seek to pay more attention to eco-compliance
validation from independent international/ as the penalties levied under REACH could
multinational eco-labels (for example, be severe. The penalties can go as high
Oekotex 100, Ecotex, and the Control as 75,000 Euros per consignment or
Union). These producers thus comply with having the entire shipment burnt. Failure
the stringent requirements for the product to comply could lead to a reduction in the
and its manufacturing process. market share for Indian textile players -
In June 2007, Subscription to such labels serves as an India exported nearly 47% of its garment
there were 274 effective tool in enhancing the market production to the EU in 2008-09, worth
manufacturers in US$5 billion.41
India with Oeko- share of the companies. It also arguably
Tex certificates leads to operational efficiency by way of
selling their optimum utilisation of resources and
products
worldwide therefore improves the bottom line of the
company.
40
Gold, Stefan, Frieder Rubik and Dirk Scheer. “Enabling Developing Countries to Seize Eco-Label Opportunities:
Project Background Paper.” ESTIS. January 2008. Institute For Ecological Economy Research. 2009 <http://
fr1.estis.net/includes/file.asp?site=eco-label&file=095D12FB-67BD-4D63-AB99-43C4BAA84C73>.
41
“EU Eco-Compliance on Chemicals Arouse Concerns in India.” 18 September 2009. Adsale Industry Portal.
2009 <http://www.adsaleata.com/Publicity/MarketNews/lang-eng/article-91595/Article.aspx>.
28
4. INDIAN MARKET FOR ECO-FRIENDLY AND

SUSTAINABLE TEXTILES
T he Indian eco-friendly textiles market

is at a nascent stage. A bird’s-eye view
of the market shows that there is an
worthwhile to take an overview of the textile
and clothing market in the country.
Today the size of
the domestic
market for textile
and clothing
absence of any significant player selling 4.1 Overview of Indian Textile and industry is worth
almost Rs.
products with eco-friendly tags. Unlike in Clothing Market42 175,000 crores,
the West, there is not a single eco-label which is far bigger
operating in the domestic textile market. Today the size of the domestic market for than the market
For customers, there is hardly anything size of
textile and clothing industry is worth almost automobiles,
being offered in the name of eco-friendly Rs. 175,000 crores, which is far bigger telecom,
or sustainable textile products. The than the market size of automobiles, consumer
average textile retailer does not know what electronics and
telecom, consumer electronics and durables, and Fast
eco-friendly textiles are and at best, may durables, and Fast Moving Consumer Moving Consumer
view handloom, pure cotton or Khadi as Goods (FMCG) sectors.43 Goods (FMCG)
eco-friendly. sectors44.
Currently, the Indian textile sector has been

However, a closer look would tell that there primarily focused on exports (and the
is a segment, which is trying to use ‘eco- many fiscal benefits that come with it). This
friendly’ as the unique selling point (USP). has led to the gross neglect of the equally
The recent retail boom has shown that promising domestic market opportunity.
there is large segment of aware people During most of the 1980s, 1990s and into
especially middle class who have good the early 2000s, the domestic sector was
disposable incomes and are willing to beset with regressive government policies.
experiment. Consequently, there is lot of
interest amongst some of the bigger As of now, it has been mostly traditionally
players as well to use the ‘green’ tag. large textile producers or new
entrepreneurs who have looked at the
As an Indian, one would like to believe domestic market. In Dec 2008, Textiles In 2007, the per
that there are many eco-friendly products Committee published the findings of the capita
consumption of
which are selling in the market but not with national household survey which give the textiles was 22.41
an explicitly eco-friendly ‘pitch’. There are following estimates for the Indian textiles metres while in
different connotations to the word “eco- and clothing market in India. 2006, the per
friendly” and in the absence of any label capita
consumption was
or standardized process, there are multiple Market Size in the Household sector 21.49 metres,
products in this segment which are being recording a
pitched and sold as eco-friendly products O In 2007, the per capita consumption growth of 4.28%
by multiple players wherein the entire of textiles was 22.41 metres while in
responsibility is on consumer to decide 2006, the per capita consumption was
whether the product is actually eco-friendly 21.49 metres, recording a growth of
or not. 4.28%
O During 2007, the average Indian
Before going into the details of the market consumer spent Rs. 1,488.39 on the
for eco-friendly textiles, it would be purchase of TEXTILE AND CLOTHING
(a growth of 6.99%)
42
National Household Survey 2008: Market for Textile and Clothing. New Delhi: Textile Committee, Ministry of
Textile, Government of India, 2008.
43
Singhal, Arvind. “Making the Textile Sector Fashionable.” Business Standard 7 May 2009 <http://www.business-
standard.com/india/news/makingtextile-sector-fashionable/357355/>.
29
O In 2007, the Indian textile market grew O Pure cotton textiles and clothing
at a rate of 8.81% and its size was Rs. compose 38.95% of the market,
1,692,952 whereas pure silk and woollen
products have a meagre market share
O Out of total consumption (in terms of
of 0.62 % and 0.35 % respectively.
quantity) of the man-made and
blended/mixed textiles taken together
make up 60.08% of the market
Table 5: Product-Wise Market Sizes in 200744
Volume Growth rate

Product (%) for
2006 2007 Previous Year
Shirt 399 million pieces 419 million pieces(Pure cotton: 28.88%) 5.01%
Shirting 1648 million metres 1,817 million metres(Pure cotton: 9.25%) 10.25%
Trousers 292 million pieces 314 million pieces(Cotton: 26.75 %) 7.53%
Jeans (Male) 163 million pieces 173 million pieces(Rural: 57%) 6.00%
Jeans (Female) 8 million pieces 9 million pieces 12.50%
Coating and suiting 558 million metres 564 million metres 1.08%
Salwar-kameez 319 million pieces 339 million pieces(Cotton: 25.37%) 6.27%
Dhoti 128 million pieces 117 million pieces(Cotton: 72%) -8.59%
Sari 1612 million pieces 1720 million pieces 6.70%
(Cotton: 22.90% and Silk: 1.63%)
T-shirt (Male) 165 million pieces 179 million pieces 8.48%
T-shirt (Female) 11 million pieces 13 million pieces 18.18%
Chaddar 122 million pieces 127 million pieces(Cotton: 96%) 4.10%
Bed sheets 148 million pieces 156 million pieces (Cotton: 93%) 5.41%
Towel 387 million pieces 400 million pieces 3.36%
Terry towel 13 million pieces 15 million pieces 15.38%
It is difficult to give any facts regarding Key Players

the market for eco-friendly textile products
In the four cities studied, it was found that
out of the huge textile market in the
broadly the market players could be
country. Thus, it would be good to start by
divided into three categories:
discussing the findings of the primary
research and then summarise the overall O Category A: Claim and sell their
findings, in terms of the nature and products as eco-friendly
structure of the eco-friendly market. O Category B: Products perceived as
eco-friendly, but do no make any eco-
4.2 Market Perspective
friendly claims
The Research Team carried out market O Category C: Products not sold or
visits in four metros, cities where a large perceived as eco-friendly
number of eco-friendly textile products are
available. This section details the key
findings of the primary research.
44
National Household Survey 2008: Market for Textile and Clothing. New Delhi: Textile Committee, Ministry of
Textile, Government of India, 2008.
30
Category A: Selling Products as Eco- been categorized on the basis of their total
Friendly annual revenue using the following
parameters: Tiny- upto 50 lakhs; Small-
One focus area of the research was to 51 - 100 lakhs ; Medium- 100 - 200 lakhs;
learn more about the market players who Large- 201 lakhs - 500 ; and Very large-
are pitching their products as eco-friendly. more than 500 lakhs:
An analysis of the 26 Category A players
is presented below in Table 6. They have
Tqble 6: Basic Profile of Key Players Selling or Having Eco-Friendly Products in Their
Product Range45
City Organisation Retail Supply Manufacture Export Size
Bengaluru Bombay Swadeshi store ☺ Very Large
Bengaluru Chaya Nisarga ☺ ☺ Tiny
Bengaluru Deepika Govind ☺ ☺ Medium
Bengaluru Desi ☺ ☺ Medium
Bengaluru Mother Earth ☺ ☺ Large
Bengaluru Serenity ☺ ☺ Tiny
Bengaluru Hands of India ☺ ☺ ☺ Tiny
Bengaluru Sarga Eco-textile ☺ ☺ ☺ Tiny
Bengaluru Zeme ☺ ☺ ☺ Tiny
Delhi Eco Tussar Silk ☺ ☺ ☺ Medium
Delhi Floor n Furnishing ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ Large
Delhi Mura Collectives ☺ ☺ ☺ Medium
Delhi People tree ☺ ☺ ☺ Small
Delhi The MaxiMum store ☺ ☺ Tiny
Delhi Alps Industries ☺ ☺ ☺ Very Large
Kolkota Sasha ☺ ☺ ☺ Large
Kolkota Red Oranges ☺ ☺ ☺ Large
Kolkota Shopper Stop ☺ Large
Kolkota Bani Thani ☺ Tiny
Mumbai Raymond Ltd. ☺ ☺ Large
Mumbai Alok Industries ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ Large
Mumbai Adya International ☺ ☺ Tiny
Mumbai Baaya Design ☺ ☺ Tiny
Bengaluru Lifestyle International (P). Ltd ☺ Very Large
Mumbai Matayasa ☺ ☺ Tiny
Delhi Dastakri Haat Samiti ☺ ☺ Large
As per the size of the firms, there are 5 Category A.1 Majorly Retailing
very large players (public limited
companies or companies with huge This category includes the five retailers who
turnovers), 6 large, 4 medium, and 2 small are retailing either one or all of their
and 9 tiny ones. products as eco-friendly. This is the least
populated category in the survey, because
there are not enough players who are
involved in just the retailing function of the
eco-friendly products. Two basic patterns
emerged:
45
Data from primary market research
31
O Retailing of only eco-friendly products as eco-friendly, while the

products: Mother Earth, a new other two only pitch a small
retail chain, is a clear stand out. segment of their products as eco-
Mother Earth is a joint venture friendly.
Mother Earth is a between Indus tree and Future
joint venture Group and claims to be the first O Of the tiny players, except for
between Indus
tree and Future green store. It started in March Dastakaari Haat, retailing is not
Group and claims 2009 and it plans to launch 40 dependent on their supplies. They
to be the first stores in the next couple of years. accept supplies from producer
green store. It
started in March
All its products will be sold as eco- who agree with their ideology. In
2009 and it plans friendly. It is a unique mix between all these cases, all or majority of
to launch 40 a large sized retailer and an eco- products are pitched as eco-
stores in the next
couple of years.
friendly product manufacturer to friendly.
tap this new market segment.
Mother Earth also plans to supply Category A.3 Retailing and Exporting
its range of products to other
prominent and major retailers in This category deals with actors who are
the country. largely into retailing or export, carrying out
both functions. Most of the players engage
O Retailing with one or more eco- in manufacturing, supplying or both. Of
friendly line of products: This the seven players in this category, four were
segment comprises of large large, one small and three tinyin terms of
retailers like The Bombay Stores, total turnover.
Shoppers’ Stop, Lifestyle who have
only few products being strictly O Started retailing with export
sold as eco-friendly. The entire size background: Most of the large
of this product line is completely players have the background of
insignificant to their overall size of exports and later entered the
the business. domestic market, such as Alok
Industries, Red Oranges, and F &
Category A. 2 Retailing and Manufacturing F. Red Oranges, which is now a
small retail shop in Kolkata, is an
There are eight actors in this category. They experienced exporter of organic
only engage in manufacturing and fabric. F & F is an exception in this
retailing. There are variations with respect category, not all of its products are
to the share of their products being eco-friendly. Alok and F& F are
Most of the large manufactured in a captive manner or also undertaking all the four
players have the being directly procured from the primary functions (retail, supply,
background of
exports and later
producers or artisans. There are two large manufacture and export)
entered the players (Raymonds and Dastakaari Haat),
domestic market, two medium (Deepika Govind and Desi O Exports as additional line of work:
such as Alok
of Bangalore) and four tiny enterprises Sasha, Zeme, People Tree and
Industries, Red
Oranges, and F & (Serenity, MaxMum Store, Baaya Design Hands of India focus on the
F. Red Oranges, and Matasya). domestic market and exporting,
which is now a equally. The tiny actors are start-
small retail shop
in Kolkata, is an O Desi, Raymonds and Deepika ups, exploring all the possible
experienced Govind have a common form of markets. For Zeme and Hands of
exporter of manufacturing. They either do not India, retailing composes a small
organic fabric.
accept supplies from others or sell aspect; the majority of their effort
all the items under their own is focused on supplying.
brand. Desi pitches all their
32
Category A.4: No Retailing chains like FabIndia as well as export their

products.
The research showed six players in the
market who do not have a retail outlet for Chaaya Nisarg deals with coconut shells
their products and are primarily involved and is an exception in this category with
with manufacturing or supplying or respect to its product.
exporting. Some of them, however, do sell Adya International and Sarga Eco-Textile
their products through exhibitions. Out of are tiny players who are still trying to find
six, there is only one very large player, Alps their in the market.
Industries. Alps are industry leaders in eco-
friendly dyes and also manufacture home Category B: Products Perceived as Eco-
furnishings and fabric and are beginning Friendly
to venture into the domestic market with
their eco-friendly products. Some of the selected stores under this
category are known as large players either
The other two, Eco-tussar and Mura at the national or regional level. An
Collectives are completely focused on eco- analysis of the five Category B players is
friendly products and supply popular retail presented below:
Table 7: Basic Profile of Some Key Players Whose Products are Perceived as Eco-Friendly46
Location Organisation Retail Supply Manufacture Export Size

National Maspar ☺ ☺ ☺ Very Large
Bengaluru (Regional) Swadeshi Store ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ Large
National HHEC (buying House) ☺ ☺ Very Large
Kolkotta (Regional) Weaver’s Studio ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ Large
National Anokhi ☺ ☺ ☺ Very Large
National FabIndia ☺ ☺ ☺ Very Large
None of the players are small or tiny in Only two (Swadeshi and Weaver’s Studio)
this segment. Additionally, all the players both of which are regional retailers, supply
except HHEC are involved in retailing and products at the national level whereas
manufacturing. HHEC is largely a buying others have their own brands and largely
house and a support organisation. sell their products through their own retail
chains.
Also, all the players export their products
and have done well in the domestic market Category C: Products Not Sold or Perceived
as well. They have dedicated as Eco-Friendly
manufacturing facilities, clusters, or group
of producers. This category is comprised of players who
are product leaders, those that recently
launched in the same product range
category or who have experimented with
eco-friendly products in past. An analysis
of the seven Category C players is
presented next page:
46
33
Table 8: Basic Profile of Some Normal or Similar Market Players47

City Organisation USP Retail Supply Manufacture Export Size
Bengaluru Nalli Lavanya Designer, ☺ ☺ Medium
Traditional
Bengaluru Svisti Designer, ☺ ☺ ☺ Medium
Traditional
Delhi G - line Natural, ☺ ☺ ☺ Medium
Creations Cotton
Delhi Good Things Traditional, ☺ ☺ ☺ Large
handloom but
power loom
manufactured
Delhi Jagdish stores Premium, Luxury, ☺ ☺ ☺ Very
Large
Ethnic, Handcrafted
Delhi The Shop Traditional, Indian ☺ ☺ ☺ Medium
Kolkota Ekru Alluring Designer ware; ☺ ☺ Medium
Designs eco-friendly tried
but discontinued
All the players in this group are either in 1. Garments (including fabric)
the luxury, designer ware, traditional or
2. Furnishings
handcrafted category. However, their
products are not eco-friendly, nor are they 3. Accessories
being sold or perceived by consumers as
eco-friendly. In addition, all these players Overall, there are very few products in
are known in their particular city and each category, in terms of volume, which
could, if desired be integrated into the eco- are purely selling as eco-friendly whereas
friendly domain. Some, like G-line and if the different connotations are attached,
Ekru, did launch an eco-friendly line of then there is a significant chunk which is
products, but discontinued them after being sold. Based on the data collected
receiving a poor response. The feedback from market visits, the following products
from these players helped in are being sold by different players as per
understanding the nature and size of the their size:
market in the four cities.
What Sells as Eco-Friendly in the Market
The Research Team divided the textile and

clothing products range into three broad
categories:
47
34
Table 9: Products Being Sold as Eco-Friendly by different Players (as per their size)48
Organisation Garments (including fabric) Furnishings Accessories

Products Being Sold as Eco-Friendly by Very Large Players
Bombay In Bengaluru had kept NA Bags made
Swadeshi organic denim but had from banana
store to withdraw due to poor and other natural
response fibre
Alps Industries NA Entire range but with Dyes, Paschima
limited offering in shawls
domestic market
Shopper Stop In Kolkata reported selling Had introduced eco-friendly Bags
vegetable dyed clothing in range couple of years ago
summer but had to withdraw due to
poor market response
Raymond Ltd. NA Launched a premium NA
furnishing store “Be Home,”
where all the products are
pitched as eco-friendly
Lifestyle NA NA Bags
Products Being Sold as Eco-Friendly by Large Players49
Mother Earth Is modelled as a modern eco-friendly super store and contains all kinds of
products in all the three categories
Floor n NA Exporter and now a large NA
Furnishing retailer in north India, has
entire range
Sasha Using vegetable dyes in some of its products in all three categories
Red Oranges Currently selling infant NA
wear & bedding as organic
Alok Industries An international retail chain willing to enter domestic market- has an entire
range but still to find avenues and had retail outlet in Mumbai and tie-ups
with organic farmers
Dastakri Haat Sells entire range as handcrafted and traditional. Believes that all their
Samiti product range are eco-friendly
Products Being Sold as Eco-Friendly by Medium Players50
Deepika Designer collection in NA NA
Govind Women’s wear and Men’s
wear-had introduced
organic and alternate
natural fibres like corn as
one line
Desi Khadi kurtas and garments Curtains, bed sheets, bed Bags, stoles,
for men and women covers, towels (limited) scarves but limited
Eco Tussar Silk Supplies silk fabric, sarees Silk based furnishings NA
and other garments
Mura Men’s and women’s NA NA
Collectives wear which uses natural
cotton and dyes
48
49
50
35
Organisation Garments (including fabric) Furnishings Accessories

Products Being Sold as Eco-Friendly by Small Players51
Bani Thani Men’s and women’s wear Scarves, stoles, etc
(designer wear)
People tree Women’s wear
Products Being Sold as Eco-Friendly by Tiny Players52
Chaya Nisarga NA NA Artefacts out of
coconut shells
Serenity Men’s and women’s wear; Very limited Stoles, scarves,
designer wear shawls
In the domestic Hands of India Women’s wear Carpets, rugs, floor mats, Stoles, scarves,
market as of now, shawls
no eco-labels are
being used as a Sarga Eco- Fabric Soft throws, table cover, NA
marketing textile cover sheets, upholstery
strategy. Instead,
Zeme Men’s, women’s and Plans to include NA
producer groups
stake their own children’s wear
claims or brand The Maximum Women, kids and maternity Cushions Bags, stoles, lamps
associations to store
eco-friendliness,
capitalising not on Adya T-shirts NA Bags, stoles
absolutist criteria International
of what constitutes
eco-friendly but
Baaya Design Men’s, women and kids Common products in this Stoles, scarves
on consumer category
perceptions of Matayasa NA Fabric, cushion covers, Stoles, scarves, bags
eco-friendliness. bed sheets, etc
What is the Pitch to Consumers? O Process related marketing tags: Uses

natural dyes, ozone-friendly, azo free
In the domestic market as of now, no eco- dyes hand block printed, hand-woven,
labels are being used as a marketing handmade, recycled, or bio-
strategy. Instead, producer groups stake degradable
their own claims or brand associations to
O Social factor related tags: Made by
eco-friendliness, capitalising not on
tribals, or made by craftspeople or
absolutist criteria of what constitutes eco-
made by disabled people
friendly but on consumer perceptions of
eco-friendliness. O Ethics related tags: Moral fibre/
clothing with a conscience
O Fibre related marketing tags: Organic
(khadi) made from natural fibre, Case studies of selected companies that
chemical-free, ahimsa textile pitch eco-friendly product attributes or
brand associations are given below.
51
52
36
Case 1: Mother Earth53 home decor and apparel. These are

all sold under sub-brands of Earth
Home, Earth Food and Earth Fashion.
All products available carry forward the
ethos of the store; products sourced
and developed are natural, healthy
and cost-effective and provide
opportunities to the rural community.”
Case 2: Zeme Organics 54
“We offer organic clothing for men,

women, infants and maternity. Each
design has been pored over,
persevered through and perfected. Our
“Mother Earth (earlier known as clothes are a 100% certified organic,
Industree] is a design-led craft- based and we use only biodegradable, EZO
company working very closely with large free dyes which are good for the planet
base of rural artisans and designers. and good for you. Our product is
They established the Industree Crafts made in India by companies who have
Foundation, in order to support artisan Control Union (SKAL) certification and
skill and enterprise development in rural follow GOTS standard. Zeme Organics
areas. and its entire supply chain is certified
Mother Earths’ mission is to offer the for production and handling of organic
consumers the best of Indian natural products. We sell to retailers in India
hand crafted products while and abroad who are looking for quality
simultaneously providing livelihoods to organic clothes that offer great design
the disenfranchised rural artisans and and aesthetics at a reasonable price.”
labour. A large part of its merchandise
is sourced from rural producers, fair Zeme Organics’ mission is “ Offering
trade partners, NGOs and and encouraging people to wear
cooperatives. organic clothes is our way of
contributing to help reduce ground
Mother Earth’s eclectic range of water pollution and green house
products includes organic and natural effect so that mother earth can
foods, home and personal care, gifts, breathe easily”.
53
“Mother Earth.” Mother Earth. 2009 <www.Mothereatth.co.in>.
54
“About Us.” Zeme.2010 <http://www.zemeorganics.com/about_us>..
37
Case 3: Vanya Silks, Central Silk Case 4: Aura56

Board, GoI 55
“There’s Something Special About

‘Vanya’ Silks…
O Vanya Silks come mostly in
natural colours – creams,
beiges, browns, and also
gold. They are in fact, the no-
need-to-dye-silks, or dye-if- “To expand our business venture
you-insist silks! around an innovative process of
O These silks are user friendly producing herbal textiles and dyes.
and healthy because of their Thus help in preventing global
porous texture and thermal warming and pollution related to
properties. textiles.
O All production processes are At Aura, our only dream is to offer

eco-friendly and do not at options to each and every user to
any stage produce chemical choose an herbal dyed textile over
effluents. chemical dyed one, with no limitations
O Tending to their production is to design, quantity, and quality. Aura
a women-friendly activity. All Herbal Textiles Ltd is exclusively
activities from cocooning to engaged in Herbal and Organic
marketing are carried out textiles ONLY certified by Global
mostly by women. Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)
Herbal and Natural Dyeing, weaving,
Eco-friendly
O Tribal communities and printing all is done under keen
products are no
longer in the economically disadvantaged supervision to maintain international
domain of the sections of the society are the quality standards.
rich, the middle primary rearers of these
class (mostly
young), who are silkworms. Dyeing of fabrics up to 120’ width has
becoming more been achieved. Even lengths of up to
conscious and
O Conservation of nature
aware, are now grown food-plants of these 1000 meters in different fabrics like
buying too. silkworms by rearers offers voiles, poplins, twills, flannels,
protection to the forest wealth corduroys, denims, knits, silks is now
achieved at Aura. Aura Herbal Wear
O These silks enjoy a niche has beautiful colour palette of earthy
market the world over and shades & various prints ensuring no
have high potential for further waste is generated. All the solid and
development.” liquid waste is used as manure &
irrigating their Farms.”
55
“The Wonders of India’s Vanya Silks...” Vanya Silk. 2009 <http://indiansilk.kar.nic.in/vanya.htm>.
56
“Aura: E-Catalogue.” fibre2fashion. 2009 <http://www.fibre2fashion.com/auraherbalwear/>
38
Institutional buyers: Amongst the manufacturing facilities. Some

institutional buyers, hotel and restaurants notable ones in this category are
formed a major chunk, followed by Raymonds, Maspar and F & F
corporations and educational institutions. O Small manufacturer and suppliers:
It is noteworthy that call centres emerged Zeme and Sarga are recent start ups
as a separate category altogether. O Large manufacturer or supplier: Very
few large players exclusively
Why Customers Buy Eco-Friendly manufacture and supply eco-friendly
Products products to large retailers like
Shoppers Stop and Lifestyle. The only
The majority of the players felt that the exception is in the category of ‘Bags’.
customers were buying their products due One such significant supplier of the
to their awareness levels as well as due to eco-friendly bags is www.2earth.com.
the “feel good factor.” Some minor factors
mentioned were “expensive,” “interested”’
Case study 7: 2earth.com
and “style statement.”
(www.2earth.com)
Most retailers felt the majority of customers
bought eco-friendly products in an A large manufacturer & supplier of Eco-
experimental mode. While the more friendly Bags who are not into retailing
established retailers felt their customers O Manufactures products that
purchased such products because of their are environment friendly
quality and that a large segment of their
O Uses biodegradable inputs to
customers are repeat customers.
produce commonly used
products
Manufacturers and Suppliers
O Avoids plastic & other harmful
As illustrated in Table 6 above, more than toxic materials
60% of the eco-friendly retailers are O Takes responsibility in
engaged in manufacturing and supplying. educating as well as practicing
There are hardly any market players all means of conserving the
(except big retailers like Shoppers’ Stop environment
and Lifestyle) who are just retailing and
are not involved in manufacturing and O Maintains the highest quality
supply of eco-friendly products. standards
O Its clients span across the
More than 60% of In terms of manufacturing and supply, the globe with Japan & America
the eco-friendly following categories emerged:
retailers are being the biggest buyers
engaged in
manufacturing O Producer/artisan groups or O Prices that are affordable
and supplying. cooperatives supported by civil society
There are hardly organisations: In this category, there Product Range
any market
players (except big are organisations like Mother Earth,
retailers like which has collaborated with producer O Biodegradable laundry
Shoppers' Stop groups and organisations from all products – suit covers, garment
and Lifestyle) who
are just retailing over the country for their supplies. covers, shirt bags, laundry
and are not Some other significant ones include delivery and collection bags,
involved in Sadhna, People tree, Ants, Sasha and valet bags, bin
manufacturing
and supply of eco- Sahaj, Fabindia, Dastakaari Haat liners, newspaper bags, chef
friendly products. Samiti, and Alok Industries caps, shoe bags, etc.
O Own production: Very large retailers
and designers had their own
40
number of scattered independent units

O Natural jute products - carry
developing supply sources and retail
bags, newspaper bags,
respectively.
shopping bags, drawstring
bags for shoes, portfolios and
folders Pricing strategy
O Natural cotton products - Most retailers mentioned that they charge

laundry bags with drawstrings premium for these products in the range
Most of the
for closing, carry bags, of 10 to 30%. They noted consumers do retailers and
newspaper bags, toiletry bags, not accept any premium beyond this. suppliers
etc. Some retailers and manufacturers who are mentioned that it
is not easy to
new to the business of eco-friendly source eco-
Client Profile products mentioned that their premium/ friendly products,
margins are not any different from other especially because
the size of the
Corporate Organizations: retailers. Some retailers opined that due industry in the
Hotel Establishments; Retail (Shoppers’ to the low sales volume it is difficult to country is very
Stop - all India, Pantaloon Depot - all recover costs at this stage. small.
India, The Bombay Stores - all India,
Tresorie Mumbai, The Center for Arts Interest Among Retailers
& Crafts Mumbai); Countries they
export to: Mauritius, established Most retailers stated there is demand
suppliers to hotel group in the United among existing customers for the eco-
States and the United Kingdom friendly products and they would be
interested in adding to their product range.
However, product quality has to be
Ease of Sourcing Eco-Friendly Products ensured, because eco-friendliness is an
additional attribute at the point of
Most of the retailers and suppliers purchase and the average customer takes
mentioned that it is not easy to source eco- a decision on that basis.
friendly products, especially because the Most retailers
mentioned that
size of the industry in the country is very 4.3 Consumers’ Perspective they charge
small. Zeme, a recent start up is trying to premium for these
make inroads in the domestic organic products in the
The Research Team conducted an online range of 10 to
cotton market. Zeme takes supplies of and direct consumer survey in one 30%. They noted
organic cotton fabric from exporters. Zeme Fabindia store in New Delhi. The survey consumers do not
mentioned that as the domestic demand results highlighted the Indian consumers’ accept any
premium beyond
for organic cotton is very low, procuring profile and preferences for eco-friendly this.
in small quantities is a problem, as the textile products.
exporters in the segment do not like to
supply in low volumes. Consumer Profiles and Preferences
Other businesses mentioned that due to Respondents’ Profile

the decentralised nature of the supply
chain, it is difficult to maintain efficiency, The random sample was composed of two
which is the main reason that so many segments. One hundred and seventy-five
retailers have their own manufacturing people participated in the internet-based
facilities and vice-versa. This indicates the survey. Sixty people who visited the
value chain of the eco-friendly products is FabIndia store in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi
yet to mature and has a relatively low were interviewed.
41
Table 10: Respondents Age of Respondents (in Sample)58
Respondents Percentage of Respondents

Age Group
All Internet Survey FabIndia All Web FabIndia
Less than 20 9 1 8 4% 1% 13%
20-30 102 75 27 43% 43% 45%
30-40 85 76 9 36% 43% 15%
40-50 25 14 11 11% 8% 18%
50-60 10 5 5 4% 3% 8%
Older than 60 4 4 0 2% 2% 0%
Total 235 175 60 100 100 100
Thirteen percent of the respondents were below the age of 20, which in many ways is
contrary to the popularly held view that the youth are not keen on the look and feel of
a typical eco-friendly product. This could be due to improved production processes and
designs as well as the growing level of awareness among the youth regarding eco-
friendly products.
Forty-five percent of the respondents were in the age category of 20-30, which is when
most people have begun working, but tend to have fewer responsibilities, giving them
larger disposable incomes. That this segment is choosing to frequent a store like FabIndia
is a positive sign.
Table 11: Respondents’ Sex59

Category
Male 102 95 7 43% 54% 12%
Female 133 80 53 57% 46% 88%
Total 235 175 60 100 100 100
The fairly even distribution of male and female respondents among the internet survey
appears to indicate that both sexes have an interest in the issue of eco-friendliness. This
issue must be taken note of by the producers of eco-friendly products since the market
offers limited eco-friendly products for men.
However, the FabIndia respondents were heavily skewed in favour of females, indicating
that the purchasing of eco-friendly and related products appears to mainly be done by
the women. While this may be true for other categories of products too, this data is an
important indicator not only for product development but also for promotion.
58
59
42
Table 12: Respondents’ Occupation60

Category
Private Company 108 94 14 46% 54% 23%
Government/PSU 16 10 6 7% 6% 10%
Self-Employed 29 21 8 12% 12% 13%
Professional
Entrepreneur 13 10 3 6% 6% 5%
Student 25 8 17 11% 5% 28%
Housewife 13 4 9 6% 2% 15%
Retired 5 5 0 2% 3% 0%
Any other 0 0 0 0% 0% 0%
NGO 20 19 1 9% 11% 2%
Education 5 3 2 2% 2% 3%
Research 1 1 0 0% 1% 0%
The distribution across categories was fairly spread out. However, among the students
who form 11% of total number of respondents none participated in the internet survey.
Table 13: Family Income61

Income Category
Less than Rs. 4 Lakhs/annum 48 42 6 20% 24% 10%
Rs. 4 - 8 Lakhs/ 61 51 10 26% 29% 17%
annum
Rs. 8 - 12 Lakhs/annum 54 34 20 23% 19% 33%
More than Rs. 12 Lakhs/annum 72 48 24 31% 27% 40%
The distribution of respondents is even across all categories. However, FabIndia

respondents are clearly from the more affluent categories as indicated in the percentage
of respondents in the higher income categories.
Current Spending on Textile Products
The spending range of respondents’ families on textile products broadly fell into four
categories. Respondents were asked not only about eco-friendly products, but also
regarding any other “eco-friendly” products.
Table 14: Garments Annual Expenditure vs. Family Income All62

Range in Rs.Income category Less than 25k 25k - 50k 50k - 75k More than 75k
Less than 4Lakhs 69% 25% 4% 2%
4Lakhs - 8Lakhs 43% 46% 8% 3%
8Lakhs - 12Lakhs 31% 43% 20% 6%
More than 12Lakhs 17% 38% 31% 15%
60
61
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43
O Garments
There appears to be a direct correlation between income categories and garments

expenditure as families with higher incomes appear more willing to spend on garments.
As the graph shows, the income category of less than Rs. 4 lakhs is heavily skewed in
favour of the lowest spending range whereas the income category of Rs. 12 lakhs and
above is very evenly spread out. As is evident from the table, sensitivity to price reduces
with increasing incomes and vice versa.
Chart2: Annual Income Vs Expenditure on Garments63
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Personal Accessories
The spending data regarding personal accessories, including bags, belts and shoes is
very similar to that of garments. The higher the income, the greater is the tendency to
spend more on personal accessories. However, it should be noted that the percentage
of respondents across income categories is lower for the top two spending categories
than what they were for garments.
This indicates that sensitivity towards pricing/spending is higher for accessories as

compared to garments. It also shows a higher priced garments may be more easily
accepted by the customer than a similar increase in accessories.
Table 15: Accessories Annual Expenditure vs. Annual Family Income All64
Range in Rs. Income Less than 10000 10000 - 20000 20000 - 30000 More than 30000
category
Less than 4Lakhs 73% 25% 2% 0%
4Lakhs – 8Lakhs 69% 23% 7% 2%
8Lakhs - 12Lakhs 43% 41% 13% 4%
More than 12Lakhs 29% 35% 19% 17%
63
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Chart 3: Accessories Annual Expenditure vs. Annual Family Income65
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Bed Linen
As in the case of personal accessories, the data on spending on bed linens shows a The price
marked preference for the two lower-spending categories. The price sensitivity is more sensitivity is more
pronounced in the case of bed linens than in personal accessories. pronounced in the
case of bed linens
than in personal
In some ways, this data brings to light the point that if the lower income segments are to accessories.
be targeted, the pricing has to be very competitive; else, the producer will have to
convince the customer that the product has value beyond mere utility when compared
to other similar products available in the market.
Table 16: Bed Linen Annual Expenditure vs. Family Income All66
Range in Rs. Less than 5000 5000- 15000 15000 – 25000 More than 25000
Less than 4 Lakhs 67% 31% 2% 0%
4 L – 8 Lakhs 64% 31% 5% 0%
8 L – 12 Lakhs 48% 46% 6% 0%
More than 12 Lakhs 31% 42% 25% 3%
Chart 4: Bed Linen Annual Expenditure vs. Family Income All67
65
66
67
45
Home Furnishings
The data on home furnishings is very similar to bed linen, wherein the expenditure
increases with the higher incomes. Only 75% of the respondents with incomes over
Rs. 12 Lakhs spent less than Rs. 20,000 on home furnishings.
Table 17: Home Furnishing Annual Expenditure Vs. Family Income All68
Range in Rs. Less than 10000 10000 - 20000 20000 - 30000 More than 30000
Less than 4 Lakhs 69% 23% 6% 2%
4 Lakhs – 8 Lakhs 56% 30% 10% 5%
8 Lakhs – 12 Lakhs 44% 44% 9% 2%
Non-polluting More than 12 Lakhs 36% 39% 14% 11%
production
process, products
using natural raw Chart 5: Home Furnishing Annual Expenditure Vs. Family Income All69
material and
organic products
seem to embody
the predominant
association that
customers have
with eco-
friendliness. Any
product or an
organization that
can claim one or
more of these
attributes is
perceived as an
eco-friendly
product by
consumers.
Understanding of Eco-Friendliness
Non-polluting production process, products using natural raw material and organic
products seem to embody the predominant association that customers have with eco-
friendliness. Any product or an organization that can claim one or more of these attributes
is perceived as an eco-friendly product by consumers.
A large number of respondents considered products with recyclable packing as eco-

friendly. This may be because the predominant packaging material is plastic, which is
widely understood to not be eco-friendly.
When comparing the data from the internet survey and the in-store interview, the
differences between perceptions on cottage industry products can be easily seen. A
large number of FabIndia respondents believed that a cottage industry product may be
more eco-friendly, the same pattern cannot be seen among the internet respondents. It
is difficult to attribute a specific reason to this difference except the fact that FabIndia
itself may be bracketed by the respondents under the cottage product category and
hence their association of eco-friendliness with this term.
68
69
46
Products with less damaging chemicals and those consuming less energy also had
eco-friendly connotations for respondents.
Table 18: Understanding of Eco-Friendliness70

Percentage of Respondents
Indicators Internet
All FabIndia
Survey
Cottage industry products 16% 10% 33%
Craft products 14% 14% 17%
Products consuming less energy during production 29% 31% 23% Most respondents
believed they were
Products having non-polluting production process 63% 72% 38% buying at least
some eco-friendly
Products using natural raw material 42% 39% 48%
products,
Organic products 42% 41% 45% indicating that the
eco-friendly
Labour intensive products 1% 1% 2% concept has some
Products with less damaging chemicals 29% 30% 27% space in the
consciousness of a
Products made in workshops that have good sewage/ 13% 14% 8% potential
pollution treatment customer.
Products made by an NGO 4% 2% 12%
Products with recyclable/natural fibre packaging 40% 38% 37%
Chart 6: Understanding of Eco-Friendliness71
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Purchase of Eco-Friendly Products
Most respondents believed they were buying at least some eco-friendly products,
indicating that the eco-friendly concept has some space in the consciousness of a potential
customer. Such consciousness seemed to be slightly higher in the FabIndia respondents,
which can be expected since FabIndia’s pitch of ‘handcrafted products’ does carry an
eco-friendly connotation.
70
71
47
In addition, the data showed a fair degree of awareness on the concept of “total eco-
friendliness.” Respondents seemed to understand it is a complex output to achieve,
because of which 29% opted for “can’t say.”
Twenty-five percent, of the FabIndia respondents answered “can’t say,” which may also
indicate an apathy towards the eco-friendly concept or that it does not matter whether
the product is eco-friendly or not.
Table 19: Do You buy Eco-Friendly Products72

Responses % of Respondents
All Web FabIndia
Yes 59% 57% 63%
No 12% 13% 12%
Can’t Say 29% 30% 25%
The respondents Chart 7: Percentage of respondents who buy Eco-friendly products73

believed they
purchase 29
different eco-
friendly products,
including textiles,
energy efficient
electrical
appliances,
cosmetics,
recycled paper,
and earthen
utensils. The
maximum number
of products
purchased by
respondents are
listed in Table 20
and chart 8.
Eco-Friendly Products
The respondents believed they purchase 29 different eco-friendly products, including

textiles, energy efficient electrical appliances, cosmetics, recycled paper, and earthen
utensils. The maximum number of products purchased by respondents are listed in
Table 20 and chart 8.
There were variations across income categories. In garments, there was a dip between
the second and first categories, which is contrary to the commonly held perception that
affluence leads to purchasing more eco-friendly products.
Organic food on the other hand follows a predictable pattern where there are no
respondents from the fourth category while a significant number of respondents from
the first category have said that they buy such products. The difference in the pattern of
72
73
48
these products is likely to lie in the marketing mix that has been followed for both
products. Organic food has been always treated as a separate product segment for
which a significantly higher price is charged highlighting the human and environmental
benefits of the products.
Garments that fall under the eco-friendly spectrum, on the other hand, have not been
marketed as eco-friendly but as traditional and comfortable products and no discernable
premium has been charged for these attributes. As a result, garments are more widely
accepted than organic food products.
Jute/coir products clearly have an association with eco-friendliness, again because

several products in these materials can substitute plastic products (which people know
are not biodegradable). There were also respondents who associated khadi with eco-
friendliness. This segment theoretically should have been higher given khadi’s real
eco-friendly nature.
Table 20: Which Eco-Friendly Products Do you Buy? - Top 774

Income Categories
Products Grand Total Less than 4Lakhs - 8Lakhs - More than
4Lakhs 8Lakhs 12Lakhs 12Lakhs
Garments 46 6 12 16 12
Bags 32 9 8 7 8
Organic food/other 24 0 3 8 13
Recycled paper/other 18 5 2 6 5
Cosmetics 12 4 3 3 2
Jute/Coir Products 12 4 3 2 3
Khadi 10 4 2 3 1
Chart 8 (the above chart): Eco-friendly products being purchased by Respondents75
74
75
49
Constraints to Buying Eco-Friendly Products
Non-availability and high prices are two of the most frequently cited reasons among
consumers for not buying eco-friendly products. This is followed by poor awareness.
Some respondents raised questions about the actual benefits that accrue from using
eco-friendly products while other raised a question mark on the reliability of products
claiming to be eco-friendly.
On the other hand, the FabIndia respondents, who belong to the segment that purchases
eco-friendly and related products, did not feel that the products were too expensive or
that they were not adequately available.
Table 21: Why You Don’t Buy Eco-Friendly Products?76

Non-availability
and high prices Reasons All Internet Survey FabIndia
are two of the
Not Available 21% 24% 12%
most frequently
cited reasons Too Expensive 19% 25% 3%
among consumers
for not buying Not Aware 9% 8% 13%
eco-friendly No tangible benefits 2% 2% 2%
products. This is
followed by poor Products not reliable 2% 2% 0%
awareness. Not identifiable 1% 1% 0%
Difficult to maintain 1% 0% 3%
Limited Products 0% 1% 0%
Few Outlets 0% 1% 0%
Not much information 0% 1% 0%
Rarely buy textile products 0% 0% 2%
Chart 9: Reasons for not buying eco-friendly products77
76
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50
Basis of Deciding Eco-Friendliness of Products

The data showed
The data showed that having an eco-label was clearly the most important way for that having an
respondents to decide on the eco-friendliness of a product. Respondents who indicated eco-label was
Craftmark to be an important basis may also be added to this category of people who clearly the most
important way for
are looking for assurance of authenticity of the claim. respondents to
decide on the
Packaging, branding and assurance that the item was procured from an artisan were eco-friendliness of
some of the other reasons cited as ways to make the customers feel that the product is a product.
truly eco-friendly.
The FabIndia respondents had a clear preference for brands that ostensibly represent
eco-friendly products.
Another contributing factor mentioned by respondents were the physical attributes of

the product like fabric quality, prints and colours. This indicates that apart from assurances
of eco-friendliness and the packaging, the product needs to have a certain look and
feel for customers to perceive it as eco-friendly.
Table 22: Basis of Deciding Eco-Friendliness of Product78
Basis All Internet Survey FabIndia

Eco-label 78% 81% 72%
Packaging 37% 39% 32%
Brand 37% 32% 52% Packaging,
branding and
Procured from artisan 33% 34% 30% assurance that the
Craftmark 30% 32% 25% item was procured
from an artisan
Fabric quality 24% 22% 32% were some of the
Retail outlet 12% 10% 18% other reasons
cited as ways to
Colours 12% 13% 8% make the
Prints 3% 2% 7% customers feel
that the product is
Advertisement 1% 1% 0% truly eco-friendly.
Handmade 0% 1% 0%
Ratification by Government 0% 1% 0%
Visual Assessment 0% 1% 0%
Chart 10: Basis on which consumers decide eco-friendliness79
78
79
51
Eco-Friendly Products for Future
The responses showed a clear preference for garments (adult and children as well as
bed linen). This demonstrates that the “contact theory” is applicable here. The contact
theory states that the closer the contact with the self, the more sensitive one is towards
the eco-friendliness of the product.
The only exception to this theory is bags, the demand for which, as mentioned earlier,
is a counter-response to plastic. This trend has been achieved after many years of
propaganda and publicity about the ills of plastic.
Table 23: Which Products Should be Eco-Friendly?80
Products All Internet Survey FabIndia

Bed linen 64% 67% 55%
Children’s garments 59% 62% 50%
Bags 57% 62% 43%
Adult’s garments 55% 62% 37%
Curtains 49% 50% 45%
Table linen 37% 39% 30%
Floor coverings 33% 33% 35%
Shoes 33% 39% 15%
Upholstrey 25% 34% 32%
Belts 24% 30% 7%
Wall paper 20% 22% 13%
Chart 11: Products which should necessarily be eco-friendly81
80
81
52
Premium Price for Eco-Friendly Products
The majority of respondents are wary of paying any or a very little premium even when
they received watertight assurances about eco-friendliness of a product. In many ways,
this represents the general faithlessness that prevails in the society where everyone
expects that any new claim is just another excuse to charge higher prices without giving
adequate additional returns.
This also represents the fact that eco-friendly products, unlike organic foods, have not
been promoted systematically in the domestic market.
Table 24: Will You Pay a Premium if the Eco-Friendliness of Product is Assured?82
Particulars All Internet Survey FabIndia

No 7% 9% 3%
Up to 10% 47% 54% 25%
Up to 20% 17% 17% 17%
Up to 30% 3% 2% 7% The majority of
Cant say 26% 19% 48% respondents are
wary of paying
any or a very little
Chart12: Willingness to pay premiums for eco-friendly products83 premium even
when they
received
watertight
assurances about
eco-friendliness of
a product
4.4 Eco-Friendly Textiles in Indian Fashion Industry
The introduction of various high-end ‘eco-friendly’ labels and designer collections in

recent years indicates that the Indian fashion industry appears to be responding to the
growing number of eco-aware consumers. Designers and stores showcasing these new
product ranges are not looking for eco-certification as of now and are instead relying
on marketing and promotional material, and the “look” of the product to vouch for the
“green-ness” of the product.
82
83
53
Designer Eco-Friendly Collections maintain and need no ironing. They

can be just rolled up and forgotten.’’
Anita Dongre recently launched
“Grassroot”, a contemporary western
With the price tag ranging from Rs.
wear collection at Wills India Fashion
5,000 to Rs. 20,000, the collection is
Week, with the claim that Grassroot
available in vibrant colours with heavy
was a “complete label that only uses
embellishments keeping in mind that
environment friendly fabrics and
the launch of the collection coincides
environment friendly techniques. “So,
with Durga Pooja. A recent fashion
be it the raw material, dyeing,
show in Kolkata also showcased only
finishing techniques, everything is
pristine cotton creations - a strong
complete environment friendly.
endorsement of the natural fabric as
Colours used were vegetable dyes,”
a style statement. The show, which
said Anita.84
had leading models Tapur and Tupur
Chatterjee sporting Mona-Pali and
South Mumbai-based fashion
Kiran Uttam Ghosh collections, was
designer and personal stylist Sonia
organised to emphasise that cotton
Mehra, who recently unveiled her
is anything but ‘uncool’.86
organic range of outfits, explains the
growing demand, “More and more
Designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee has
people are opting for organic fabric,
been extensively using khadi in his
besides being eco-friendly, it is more
collections ever since his debut in
soft and comfortable. And, unlike the
2002. However, to him, using local,
past, now eco-friendly clothes come
hand-woven fabrics is the only way
in contemporary and modern designs
to distinguish Indian textile products
and that too at an affordable price.”85
and handle the invasion of global
brands. By dressing up Bollywood
Likewise in Kolkata, designer Arpita
stars Aishwarya for Mani Ratnam’s
Kalra’s new eco-friendly clothing line
Ravana and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s
Full Cupboard is being retailed at
Guzaarish, and Vidya Balan for R.
Seesha, one of the city’s popular
Balki’s Paa, all in khadi, he is trying
fashion houses, this year. Kalra said:
to change both khadi’s aspirational
“The clothes have been conceived by
value and Bollywood’s stereotypical
using bio-degradable natural fabrics,
obsession with “bling” and polyester.
using recycled embroidered silk and
cotton. ‘The clothes have been
He also launched a khadi bridal
conjured up by using old Pakistani
collection, a complete anomaly in the
embroidered stuff that had been given
heavily embroidered bridal-wear
away. Not only are the crushed clothes
product segment. However, each and
eco-friendly but they are also easy to
every piece of the 90-odd lehengas
84
“Designer Dongre Launches India’s First Ever-Organic Clothing Line.” South Asian Women’s Forum 10 September
2007 <http://www.sawf.org/newedit/edit09102007/news.asp>.
85
Gupta, Preeti. “Fashion Goes Eco-Friendly.” The Times of South Mumbai
2 May 2008 <http://www.mumbaipluses.com/downtownplus/index.aspx?page=article&sectid=10&contentid=
2008050220080502155522515d723a8&sectxslt=&comments=true>.
86
Bose, Debayoni. “Eco-Friendly Attire is in Thing in Kolkata.” 10 October 2007. Earthtimes <http://
www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/121621.html>.
54
in Sabyasachi’s collection sold out making it his best-selling series till date. The
designers feels that he knows his customers are rich women who own everything.
What they need is a point of view. Khadi gives them that.”87 Despite his consistently
high sales volumes and the critical acclaim he has received, he has attracted
criticism as well for the high price range of the products.. Sabyasachi collections
of khadi, cotton saris and dresses start at 6,500 rupees (£80) and rise to 100,000
rupees (£1,230) for bridal and special wear.88
Other designers are doing similar work as well. Promoting organic cotton in a
big way, men’s wear designer Digvijay Singh created an interesting and very
practical line for the label Bhusattva. Working with eco friendly fabric and natural
herbal dyes, the men’s wear line had subtle touches of ethnicity with the look
being very western.89
Fashion designer Rohit Bal uses linen extensively in his creations. “There’s no
limitation to khadi. It comes in such wonderful colours. Also, we are living in era
that’s not specifically defined - suddenly everything seems to be working - be it
kurtas and jeans, or salwar kameezes, western dresses, party wear, the works...
But what has gained popularity is Indian fashion abroad - the kurtas, saris - all
of which provide scope to use khadi.”90
4.5 Trend Analysis of the Products

Using the findings from the market survey and consumer survey, the Research Team did
a trend analysis on sales frequency. The products have been divided into three categories
(based on retailer’s inputs) as presented in the Table 25:
O Fast Moving or upward: In this category, sales of the products are constantly
increasing
O Stable/consistent performers: Sales of the products is healthy and consistent
O Slow moving: Sales of these products are picking up very slowly and retailers are
wary of stocking them.
87
Vasudev, Shefalee I. “Khadi’s Refinement Lies In Its Humility.” Outlook. 24 August 2009
<http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?261316>.
88
Luke, Catriona. “Indian Designer Champions Homespun.” South Asian Mail. 20 October 2009. <http://
www.southasiamail.com/news.php?id=44030>.
89
“Digvijay Singh.” Lakmé Fashion Week. March 2009. NewsVision. 2009 <http://newsvision.in/
fashionweekreview/lakme_fashion_week_aw09_day1.html>.
90
“Bollywood Designers Encourage the ‘Khadi’ Phenomenon.” 1 October 2009. IndiaTime Movies.
<http://movies.indiatimes.com/Features-Events/Features/Bollywood-designers-encourage-the-khadi-
phenomenon/articleshow/5078416.cms>.
55
Table 25: Trend Analysis of the Eco-Friendly Products in the Market91

Category Fast moving/upward Stable/consistent performers Slow moving
Sofa throws Cushions Soft furnishing
Floor cushions and pillows Pillows Infant bedding
Table cover Table linen Toddler bedding
Hand napkins Place mats Children’s bedding
Runners Quilts
Cover sheets Other home furnishing
Furnishings Bed linen Bath towels
Women’s wear Floor mats
Flooring rugs
Car seat covers
Upholstery
Curtains and curtain
accessories
Women’s wear Women’s wear Men’s Wear
Children’s wear Sleepwear Sportswear
Fitness wear
Swim wear
Undergarments
Garments Bathrobes
Socks and stockings
Special purpose clothing
Uniforms and work
wears
Wedding garments
Woollens
Bags Shawls Belts
Accessories Stoles Handkerchief
Scarves
Currently in the market, there are nine items in the three categories, which are fast
moving and showing upward trends and ten consistent performers. The slow movers
are the ones which have potential for the future and be developed as niche products by
manufacturers.
According to the exporters surveyed, most of the listed products have received a very
good response in Western markets and as the economy grows and eco-friendly market
matures, these products are likely to find more takers.
91
56
4.6 Demand and Supply Assessment
Based on the data collected from the market and consumers, the research team assessed
the gap between demand and supply among the top nine items in the eco-friendly
market.
The major findings are: There is a visible

gap in the
1. There is a visible gap between demand and supply for bed linen, curtains and demand and
children’s apparel. supply of certain
products like bed
2. The market for belts, upholstery, floor coverings and table linen is good and these linen curtains,
bags, and
products are easily available. children's apparel.
3. Supply matches demand for bags and adult garments, which illustrates the potential
for increasing the product range in this segment to provide better choices to the
customers.92
demand supply curves for top 9 items
18
16
14
12
10
% value
consumers
retailers
8
0
Bed linen Children's Bags Adult's Curtains Table linen Floor Upholstrey Belts
garments garments coverings
products
92
57
5. RECOMMENDATIONS
A fast growing 5.1 Market Related Recommendations India in the Global Textiles Eco-System”,
retail market
where people are
the size of the Indian textile and apparel
willing to spend Opportunities industry is US$ 49 billion (61% is the
and experiment, domestic market and 39% composed of
offers a unique Fast Growing Retail Market
opportunity for
the export market). Textiles account for
marketing eco-
friendly products. A t the macro level, there is a huge
excitement in the market due to the
recent retail boom. This has also attracted
59% of the industry and remainder is
composed of apparel.
the attention of global players and now The domestic market is expected to grow
most can be found in tier two and tier three at a 6.5% of the Compound Annual
cities. Growth Rate (CAGR). As the size of the
pie gets bigger, eco-friendly products will
It is a historic moment for the retail industry definitely find takers.
with new shopping plazas and malls
opening across the country. For example, According to the primary research, there
in Bengaluru there are around 24 big is optimism about these products and most
malls/shopping plazas, 11 big of the key actors in the eco-friendly domain
superstores, 120 lifestyle stores selling well have witnessed good growth.
known brands, 30 high fashion stores, and
50 home décor/handicrafts stores (and As is evident from the table below, the
The urban home these figures are conservative estimates). apparel market is projected to witness
furnishings retail
market is significant growth, partly because of the
A fast growing retail market where people
estimated to be expanding rural market. The urban home
Rs. 9,300 crore are willing to spend and experiment, offers
furnishings retail market is estimated to
and expected to a unique opportunity for marketing eco-
reach Rs. 20,000 be Rs. 9,300 crore and expected to reach
friendly products.
crore by 2012. Rs. 20,000 crore by 2012. Bed and bath
Bed and bath furnishing products make up two-thirds of
furnishing Expanding Textile and Clothing Market
products make up the market in the country.
two-thirds of the According to the report “CII-Ernst and
market in the
country.
Young Textile and Apparel Report, 2007:
Table 26: Market Size of the Apparel Market in India93
Serial Sector Estimated Market Projected Growth (2009)

Number Size (2007) in US$
1 Men’s apparel US$ 8.1 billion Range of US$ 13.5-14 billion
2 Women’s apparel US$ 6.7 billion US$ 11 billion
Willingness of 3 Children’s apparel US$ 4.7 billion US$ 11 billion
customers to
experiment with
purchases, and if Two-thirds of the Indian population is under 35 years of age, with the median age is 24
satisfied with the years. This demographic factor coupled with the rise in the disposable income of the
quality, repeat
purchases
middle class. The consumer survey also hinted towards a growing number of young
people who are interested in the eco-friendly products, which a very favourable factor.
Specifically in the eco-friendly domain, the research shows the following opportunities:
93
“India in the Global Textiles Ecosystem.” Textile and Apparel Report, 2007. New Delhi: Ernst and Young and
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, 2007.
58
O Willingness of customers to experiment Branding in the Eco-Friendly Domain

with purchases, and if satisfied with
the quality, repeat purchases Eco-friendly is a widely used term and
O Prospects for some fast moving and tends to include products from various
consistent performance among categories. If the artisanal and
accessories, furnishings, garments handcrafted groups are to tap into the
(reference Table 13: Trend Analysis of “eco-friendly” market then their branding
the Eco-Friendly Products in the has to be more than just the eco-friendly.
Market)
Stereotypical Associations made with Eco-
O If the prices of organic cotton/fibre are Friendly Garments
reduced its likely there will be
significant increase in sales, as One major misconception by consumers Lack of variety
customers correlate eco-friendly is that eco-friendly garments tend to look among eco-
products with organic cotton or fibre dull and drab, and are only available in friendly products,
creating lots of
O Lack of variety among eco-friendly plain fabrics and neutral colours. space to innovate
and diversify
products, creating lots of space to product ranges.
innovate and diversify product ranges To address this misconception, producers
can, using the correct dyes and processes,
O Using the terms “eco-friendly,” produce environmentally friendly
“handcrafted,” “natural,” or “organic” garments in a wide range of attractive
combined with a good design, quality colours and fabrics.
components and an appropriate price
could help immediately establish any Demand and Supply Issues related to Eco-
eco-friendly product in the current Friendly Products
market
Supply and demand within the textile
Challenges market are also factors affecting the
growth of the eco-friendly textile product
Cost Competitiveness market. One issue is the lack of
information regarding what to demand/
With globalisation, there is huge request of eco-friendly textile products, in
competition from substitutes of the eco- terms of process and the final product.
friendly products. Currently there are not Eco-friendly products should be processed
enough global players in the market, but in a non-polluting manner, however, it is
with more entering competition will impossible to know whether such a process
increase within the eco-friendly domain. has been followed or not. This gives
Artisan groups will have to become more customers a strong preference for
competitive, which is directly linked to labelling.
costs.
Since there is little demand-pull from
It is important to identify the concerns, fears consumers, pricing must be rather
and desires every consumer has at a conservative, which results in low profit
subconscious level. Customers buy margins for the producers and other
“handloom” and “handicraft” products, members of the distribution chain.
presuming with they are eco-friendly and
would especially like to buy products that Another problem is not enough supply. The
are on the higher side of the eco-friendly volume, variety, range of eco-friendly
spectrum. products is insufficient. In addition, very
few products claim to be eco-friendly, and
as a result, the label does not register
deeply with customer, and thus does not
59
factor into the decision to buy. Finally, those innovative products from the
producing the products are not able to consumers’ perspective, differently
promote their products effectively or than other offerings, because most
charge appropriate prices. customers are sceptical and wait until
The market survey an “innovative product” is mass
data clearly
indicates that
Recommendations for Addressing marketed - suggestions to sell these
consumers are Challenges products include:
willing to
purchase eco- o Educate customers about the
O Make the distribution chain as short
friendly products, importance of these products and
even to pay a as possible - if possible, the producer
about how they are different
premium for such should directly sell their products
products, provided o Create specific messages for
the products were Develop products targeted at young
certified or
O different customers, such as
labelled as eco- professionals pitching products as ‘high quality
friendly. alternatives” not a regular product
O Target products to both young men
- avoid mass marketing in the
and women (who are the main
beginning
purchasers)
O Promote the eco-friendly concept 5.2 Eco-Label Related

extensively using the Public-Private- Recommendations
Partnership (PPP) model
Opportunities
O Coordinate efforts to popularize eco-
friendly products - draw on
The market survey data clearly indicates
successfully cases, like the marketing
that consumers are willing to purchase
of eco-friendly bags
eco-friendly products, even to pay a
O Restart the eco-labelling initiative - the premium for such products, provided the
government effort did not really work, products were certified or labelled as eco-
especially in case of textile products friendly.
O Bring the theory of “contact” into the Challenges

public consciousness, since it directly
affects the market for products like bed Popularisation of the eco-friendly label is
linen and garments an issue along with working to deliver cost-
benefits to the manufacturer/retailer. The
O Develop niche areas such as items for
eco-mark has no takers among textile and
infants and children, and a maternity
clothing manufacturers and retailers as of
wear line
now. The key reasons for this are:
O Make the eco-friendly pitch loud and
clear, coupled with product quality and O Lack of proportionality between the
diversity cost of obtaining the eco-label and
sales figures as consumers are not
O Make an effort to convert middle class aware of the eco-mark’s existence.
consumers to “eco-consumers”
O The producer has to incur the cost of
O Focus on the consumers who are not switching to green technologies and
100% convinced of the value of eco- processes as well as to apply and
friendly products by working on smart obtain the certification. This translates
pricing and creating a real presence into additional costs and by extension,
(long term) in the market a higher priced product as compared
to non-eco-friendly products in the
O Market and sell eco-friendly products,
same category.
which in India fall into the category of
60
O If the producer has to incur the cost of term cost involved in maintenance of
promoting eco-friendliness as a the product, recyclability, and bio-
desirable product criteria and/or to degradability - for instance, sujani
promote the eco-label the price of the quilts from Bihar and the kantha of In order to help
apply and monitor
product would rise astronomically. West Bengal are traditionally intended the eco-label, a
as a means of recycling old worn out five star gradation
Recommendations for Addressing saris, but now most producer groups system can be
adopted showing
Challenges working on these crafts use new fabrics the extent of eco-
as the base friendliness of a
product. By
O Establish a national-level eco-label providing a
In order to help apply and monitor the eco- gradation system,
O Generate awareness through a range label, a five star gradation system can be one is not only
of media, including print, TV, ads, adopted showing the extent of eco- rewarding
producers for any
pamphlets, posters, tags, and friendliness of a product. By providing a environmentally
websites, which target in-store gradation system, one is not only friendly behaviour
consumers and nascent market interest rewarding producers for any but also
environmentally friendly behaviour but simultaneously
Encourage large-scale government according greater
O
also simultaneously according greater value to more
participation, such as by introducing value to more green companies. green companies.
tax breaks to serve as an incentive to
eco-producers and to lower costs However, at the same time it would be wise
to approach such a gradation after
In addition, the criteria for the eco- studying its success in other industries and
label should be standardization and analyzing to what extent it can be adopted
contextualization. There is now a the textile and clothing sector.
global move towards standardization
of eco-labels under International Finally, there are yet a number of
Organization for Standardization (ISO) unresolved issues such as whether
to create greater transparency in eco gradation being given to the product is to
schemes. be calculated based on the percentage of
undesirable substances in the product,
Recommendations for Eco-Labelling percentage of the pollution generated by
its production process, or as percentage
O Ensure the Indian eco-mark label does of its cost.
not have loose, relative criteria, as is
the case in the current label but on Another question is how much information
globally accepted label patterns in the label should have. While creating
order to garner respect for the label awareness about eco -product it is
amongst international buyers necessary to strike a balance between
overloading consumer with scientific
O Make the label context relevant to the
jargon, which may not have any meaning
domestic market
for them and even may confuse them). In
O Include within the label eco-services to addition, it is necessary to educate
provide some form of accreditation to consumers about the nature of the
service providers such as dyers and environmental damage caused by non-
washers who do not produce the eco-friendly processes and products.
finished good, but are hired to provide
specific services The key finding of the research was that
the current market size for the eco-friendly
O Take into account in the labelling products is small and the players are quite
process, criteria such as shrinkage, scattered, with only few large players. The
colour fastness, perspiration, long- sector right now is witnessing several
61
initiatives to commercialise the eco-friendly A coordinated effort by all the key

pitch wherein a segment of exporters are stakeholders is required to popularize the
There are major
also exploring the domestic market. concept amongst the consumers as well
opportunities in However, consumers’ still feel they do not as regular market players. There is lot of
this segment but have enough choices and often think of excitement in the industry with regard to
there are also
challenges at the
eco-friendly products as expensive, luxury eco-friendly products and if the artisanal
macro level, products. and craft worker groups are to become
especially related essential stakeholders then a long-term
to common There are major opportunities in this intervention strategy is required at the
understanding
and awareness of segment but there are also challenges at production as well as at the consumption
what eco-friendly the macro level, especially related to levels. It looks like the early starters that
textiles are and common understanding and awareness of establish their brands in this domain will
about the policies
for its promotion. what eco-friendly textiles are and about benefit the most.
the policies for its promotion.
62
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66
Annex 1: List of Respondents City-Wise

Delhi/National Capital Region (NCR)
Anokhi Jagdish stores The Home Store
Arvind Brands Limited Mura Collectives The MaxiMum store
Eco Tussar silk People tree The shop
Floor n Furnishing Pilakhua;s printing cluster Impulse
G - line Creations Ritu wears Wills lifestyle
Good things Sushila Gramodyog Limited Good earth
HHEC (buying House)
Bengaluru
Bombay Swadeshi store Nalli Lavanya Hands of India
Chaya Nisarga Serenity New port Products (P) ltd
Cinanom Svisti Sarga Eco-textile
Deepika Govind The Design Store Tarshish Exports
Desi Vaishnavi Industries Yamini
Industree Crafts Foundation/ Eco Seal Swadeshi Store
Mother Earth
Maspar Gokuldas Zeme Organics
Kolkota
Sasha FabIndia Sasha-EDF
UNITED SALES AGENCY Red Oranges Bani Thani
(Eco bags)
Weaver’s Studio Ekru Alluring Designs Silk Khadi Seva Mandal
Kanishka Shopper Stop Rajyalakshmi Cotton Mills
Anokhi Shashwati Nair
Mumbai
Bombay store Alok Industries Baaya Design
Raymond Ltd. Adya International Lifestyle (Home center)
Shopper Stop The Bombay stores Matayasa
67
Annex 2: Toxic Substances used in the Textile Industry94

The toxic substances used in the textile protection during storage. Herbicides are
industry are known to have adverse side weed-eradication and defoliant chemicals.
effects on human health and are extremely They can be absorbed by the fibres and
bad for the environment. A few illustrative might remain in the final product. Most of
examples are mentioned below. them can be removed during
manufacturing. Pesticide and herbicide
A. Formaldehyde acts as a cross-linking residues are rated from slightly too strongly
agent to make an easy-care finish, which toxic and sometimes are very easily
is intended to prevent shrinkage and to assimilated through skin. Lindane is a
give the product a crease-resistant, pesticide suspected to be cancer inducing.
smooth-dry, and soil releasing finish. The
presence of formaldehyde in a garment E. Pentac hlorophenol (PCP) and
or textile can be harmful to health tetrachlorophenol (TeCP) to prevent mould
especially through irritation of the mucous spots caused by fungi, chlorinated phenols
membranes and respiratory tract. In many such as PCP are applied directly on textiles,
countries, formaldehyde in textile and leather and wood. Both PCP & TeCP are
leather products is restricted. very toxic and regarded as cancer-
inducing agents. Their chemical stability
B. Extractable heavy metals like Antimony is very high and cannot be easily broken
(Sb), Arsenic (As), Lead (Pb), Cadmium down.
(Cd) etc. are constituents of some dyes.
They can also be found in natural fibres F. PVC plasticizers – phthalates are the
having been absorbed by plants through most popular plasticizers used to soften
soil or air. Metals may also be introduced PVC, and add flexibility and workability.
into textiles through the dyeing and However, some studies have shown that
finishing processes. under simulated conditions, softened PVC
might release phthalates in quantities
Once absorbed by humans, heavy metals which have potentially hazardous effects
tend to accumulate in internal organs like on young children. European Union and
liver and kidney. The effects on health can certain states in the United States have
be tremendous when high levels of implemented phthalates restrictions on
accumulation are reached, e.g. lead will childcare articles.
affect the nervous system. The effect is
particularly serious in children due to G. Organotin compounds -Tributyltin (TBT)
impact on growth and their relatively low is one of the organotin compounds used
body mass. for anti- microbial finishing. In the textile
industry, it has been used for preventing
C. Chromium (Cr.) is mainly an undesirable the bacterial degradation of sweat and the
by-product generated during the leather corresponding unpleasant odour of socks,
tanning process. It is a strong oxidant and shoes and sport clothes. Dibutyltin (DBT)
a heavy metal capable of poisoning is another organotin with various
humans and the environment. applications, such as PVC stabilisers,
catalyst for electro-deposition paints and
D. Pesticides and herbicides residues for polyurethanes. High concentrations of
example, aldrine, carbaryl, DDD, DDE, these compounds are considered toxic.
DDT, dieldrine, etc. are used in the They can be absorbed through the skin
cultivation of natural plant fibres like cotton and depending on the exposure may affect
to combat insects, and also as moth the nervous system.
94
“Eco-Textiles.” Intertek 2009 <http://www.intertek-labtest.com/brochures/Eco-Textiles>.
68
H. Azo/carcinogenic/allergenic dyes Azo (PBDE). Prolonged contact to high dosages

dyes are the name of the group of of flame-retardants can cause impairment
nitrogen-based synthetic dyes that are of the immune system, hypothyroidism,
often used for textiles. Some azo dyes may memory loss and joint stiffness.
produce carcinogenic aromatic amines
under certain conditions. In Europe, the L. pH value is a scale ranging from one to
Azocolourants Directive 2002/61/EC 14 to indicate acidity and alkalinity.
restricts 22 aromatic amines in textiles and Human skin is slightly acidic which inhibits
leather. Some other dyes used in the textile the development of many diseases. Textiles
industry are classified as having adverse in which the pH lies in the neutral (pH 7)
effects on humans. Twenty disperse dyes or slightly acidic regions (below 7) are
are said to be allergenic, while seven dyes friendly to skin. Fabrics with extreme pH
are classified as carcinogenic. These dyes values can easily damage skin and may
may be absorbed through the skin with cause an allergic reaction.
prolonged skin contact.
M. Colour fastness (staining) if improved
I. Chlorinated organic carriers are can reduce risk of adverse health effects.
commonly used as auxiliaries in the dyeing With poor colour fastness, dyes or
of polyester. These are harmful and may pigments may be released into sweat and
induce liver malfunction, irritation to could be absorbed through skin. Four
mucous membranes and the skin as well colour fastness tests are recommended for
as reproductive disorders. textiles with direct skin contact. They are
colourfastness to water, to perspiration, to
J. Biocides for textiles are usually rubbing and to saliva (for babies).
organotins or quaternary ammonium
compounds. They are toxic in nature. They N. Release of nickel found in alloys used
are used as antifungal or antibacterial for metal accessories on garments such
agents. as buttons, zippers, rivets etc. Some people
are allergic to nickel, and when in contact
K. Flame retardants are added to textiles with nickel-containing accessories for a
to delay or prevent fire. These chemicals long period, may experience serious skin
can either be coatings or chemically bound irritation.
in. PVC is very useful due to its flame
retardant properties. Highly used The European Union has issued Directive
examples are 2,3- dibromopropyl 94/27/EC to limit the use of nickel, under
phosphate, polybrominated biphenyls which the following two test methods are
(PBB) and polybrominated diphenylether used for analysis EN 1811 and EN 12472.
69
Annex 3: Types of Eco-Labels as per Administrative

Mechanism
First party labelling or self-declarations: product. Certification programmes

This pertains to the labels or phrases focussing on the positive aspects of the
established by individual producer groups. product are either seals of approval or
Such labels usually contain information single attribute certification schemes. In
pertaining to the specific environmental both cases, the criteria for certification are
advantages of their products that the based on LCA and are reviewed frequently.
producer wishes to convey to the consumer
The review process is designed to ensure
through media or advertisement.95
that only a small percentage of the
products qualify for the label, the review
Second party labelling: This pertains to
also enables the labels to consistently raise
labels established by industry associations
the criteria for their label, thereby
for their members’ products. Certification
providing an incentive to the product
criteria for such labels are usually created
manufacturers to improve the
by external expertise from academia and
environmental attributes of their product.
environmental organisations. Verification
of compliance to the established criteria O Seal of approval: takes into
is achieved through internal certification consideration many factors including
procedures within the industry or environmental policy goals, consumer
employment of external certifying awareness of environmental issues,
companies.96 trade effects of imports and exports,
economic condition of the domestic
Third party labelling: This pertains to industry etc. The bulk of the
labelling schemes established by a public responsibility rests with the decision-
or private institution independent from the making board, which comprises of
producers, distributors, and sellers of the various stakeholders – academics,
labelled products. The label or seal is trade representatives, consumer
typically licensed to a producer and may organisations, environmental agencies
appear on/or accompany a product that and government representatives.
met the criteria laid down by the label-
initiating institution. Environmental Technical expertise is usually provided
organisations and consumers alike by governmental standard setting
generally prefer third party labels because organisations, consultants, export
private commercial interest will not panels or ad hoc task forces
compromise the criteria applied to the established to work on specific product
schemes and compliances to criteria laid categories. Governmental agencies
down will be based on verifiable and may also be involved in the monitoring
impartial certification procedures97 mechanisms or in administration of the
scheme. Well-known seals of
Most third party certification programmes approvals include Germany’s Blue
are voluntary in nature and identify positive Angel and the European Union’s Eco
or neutral environmental aspects of a Flower98
95
96
97
98
70
O Single attribute cer tification administered – independent/private

programmes: focus on defining labels, national labels, and
specific attributes of a product such as multinational labels.
its recyclability or bio-degradability.
Products that meet the definition and O Non-governmental organisations
have marketers who have entered an (NGOs) or research institutions usually
application, are awarded a logo these issue independent labels: These labels
facts. For instance, a product may bear take into account either the entire life
a “recycled” or “bio-degradable” cycle of the product or the end
label. Such labels are generally aimed product’s quality. For instance, Ecotex
at audiences already somewhat aware 100, Ecotex 1000 and Toxproof etc.
of basic eco-friendly criteria as well as are institution related. AKN Trademark
at creating awareness among the less is related to a producer association in
informed public.99 Germany while Steilmann, Otto
Versand, Hess Natur and Green
O Neutral labelling programmes: are Cotton are examples of company
usually mandatory and apply to related eco-labels.
aspects of the product that the
customer is believed to have the right O National labels: are issues by
to know. The best known of these are governments of various countries and
related to the food and drugs industries are designed to provide manufacturers
where it is mandatory to disclose the with an opportunity to enter new
contents of the product. Such labels are markets and/or address certain market
intended to allow users to make niches. They address the domestic
informed decisions regarding their market and the environmental issues
purchases. However, they are of little most relevant to that particular
use to less informed customers as they economy and ecology; for instance, the
provide standardised statistical Eco Mark of India, the Eko-Seal of
information and little interpretation of Holland, the Green Mark of Taiwan,
these figures. the Eco Mark of Korea, and the
Environmental Choice of Canada.
O Negative labelling: are mandatory
hazard warnings that appear on O Multinational labels: are issued by a
products containing potentially multinational entity. These labels
harmful or hazardous ingredients. address the environmental impact of
They are intended to alert customers a particular region. The EU Flower
to the dangerous nature of the product label and the Nordic eco-label are
and to encourage its safe disposal. examples of multinational eco-labels.
Such labels are usually initiated by Government or public sector support
government agencies but may also be in running eco-labelling schemes has
voluntarily provided by manufacturers many advantages:100
as a means of absolving themselves
of liability in case the product is O It improves the programmes economic
misused. Such labels are most often stability, local protection, credibility with
seen on explosives, chemicals etc. Eco- manufacturers and consumers
labels may also be differentiated based
O It provides dependable long term
on the manner in which they are
resources
99
Edition. New Delhi: Textiles Committee, 2006. 7-8.
100
71
O It helps overcome high start-up and government agencies in some production

monitoring costs, thereby allowing centres, as they do not have to take into
lower prices and greater participation consideration social implications such as
from small and medium- scale job losses generated because of shifting
enterprises (SMEs) to ‘green’ technologies. Private sector
labels may also be an effective means of
O It allows facilitation of an international
pressurising foreign companies and
standard
countries to comply with environmental
O It provides technical expertise in certain legislation.101
areas
In addition to joint government-private
O Ensures public observation, review and sector or public-private participation, the
comment on proposed standards quality, cost-effectiveness and efficiency of
eco-labelling schemes may also be
However, the private sector labels may be strengthened through the incorporation of
less vulnerable to shifting political currents leading organisations, groups and
and budget constraints than government individuals with research credentials,
run programmes. They may also be more expertise in criteria development and
able to set most stringent standards than review processes.102
101
102
72
Annex 4: Standardisation of Eco-Labels

All eco-labels currently serve primarily as a marketing instrument targeted at niche
markets. Creation of environmental awareness, consumer education and information
regarding environmentally preferable products are strategies used by promoters of
individual labels to create wider visibility for their certifications.
The ISO103 has undertaken efforts to attempt to standardise the principles, practices
and key characteristics relating to three major voluntary environmental labelling types:
Type 1 labels: These are voluntary, multiple-criteria based, third party programmes that
award a license authorising the use of environmental labels on a product to indicate it
is environmentally preferable in comparison to other products within the same product
category based on life cycle considerations.
Type 2 labels: These are informative environmental self-declaration claims
Type 3 labels (Quantified Product Information (QPI) labels): These voluntary programs
provide quantified environmental data of a product, under preset categories of
parameters set by a qualified third party and based on life cycle assessment, and verified
by that or another qualified third party.
Title104
Label types Metrics Life cycle Selectivity Third Standard

assessment party assessment
Environmental Multiple Yes Yes Yes ISO 14024
labels (Type 1)
Self declared
environmental Single No No Preferred ISO 14021
claims (Type 2)
Quantified product Multiple Yes No Yes ISO 14025
information(Type 3)
Besides ISO, another agency involved actively in eco-labelling is the Global Eco-labelling
Network (GEN). GEN is a network of non-profit organisations around the world that
issues eco-labelling certification to foreign applicants.
They participate in eco-labelling activities of the United Nations Environmental

Programme (UNEP), ISO, and the World Trade Organization (WTO). It also develops
criteria and analyses of such issues as eco-labels and trade, harmonisation programmes,
and enables information exchange among members with regard to criteria setting,
marketing, green procurement etc.105
103
ISO is a worldwide federation of national standard bodies from 140 countries. It was established in 1947 to
promote development of international standards through international agreements. “ISO Standards.” 2009.
International Organization for Standarization (ISO). <http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue.htm>.
104
Edition. New Delhi: Textiles Committee, 2006.
105
73

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Sustainable Textiles for Sustainable Development

Market Research Study-India

K aarak Enterprise Development Services

During the course of investigation, we met Kaarak Enterprise Development Services

1. About the Study 3

2. Textile and Clothing Industry: An Overview 7

4. Indian Market for the Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Textiles 29

Annex 1: List of Respondents City-wise 67

T he Indian textile and clothing industry

matka as the symbol. In spite of being in responsibility is on the consumer to decide

1. ABOUT THE STUDY

1.1 Context 1 textile parks across India. The project seeks

T he All India Artisans and Craftworkers

o Analysis of the supply ensured direct consumers’ perspective

organizations provided by AIACA , and other industry experts. This

The following is the listing of the same:

Table 1: List of Products Examined during the Study

Furnishing Garments Accessories

Soft furnishings Men's wear Bags

Curtains O Stage wear

Curtain accessories O Uniforms and work

2. TEXTILE AND CLOTHING INDUSTRY:

T he Indian textile and clothing

O India has the second largest installed O Jute industry

2.1 SWOT Analysis of the Indian Textile and Clothing Industry

Table 2: SWOT Analysis of the Indian Textile and Clothing Industry

Keeping these features of the textile Objectives

Table 3: Projection of Sector-Wise Share in Cloth Production4

2.3 Sectoral Composition of Textile fabric production accounts for 62% of

The textile industry is comprised largely of O As of 31 March 2006, there were

Type of cloth Estimated Production Projected Production

Clothing and Apparel Sector o In exports - 2.24 billion pieces

There are 718

O The major wool producing states in the O Represents a multi-disciplinary field

T he initial environmental debate, in the

with an ever-increasing population, at its A finite resource that is quickly becoming

In the 1980s, a more holistic view arose, O by the effluent’s heat,

As many as 2,000 different chemicals are Global consumption of fresh water is

Polluting Processes in the Textile likely to occur because of phenolic and/

O Cultivation of Natural Fibres O Loom-shed

O Sizing Chlorine, used in bleaching, creates

Therefore, despite the lack of a single, When looking at variety of materials

the dirt, and there is the issue of the BAMBOO

In May 1996 the Ministry of Environment In addition, enterprises manufacturing

If compliance is to be more widespread, safeguard their own local industries. Thus,

3.4 Eco-Labels A 1996 study by Consumers International

of providing environmentally conscious manufacturers to move towards

O Facilitate increasing environmental Consideration of “fitness of purpose” and

Comparative Sampling of Various Eco- O SKAL India - a branch of “Control

clear and credible guidance regards The general product requirements

Compliance with Foreign Eco-Label The most wide-spread labelling scheme

4. INDIAN MARKET FOR ECO-FRIENDLY AND

T he Indian eco-friendly textiles market

Currently, the Indian textile sector has been

Table 5: Product-Wise Market Sizes in 200744

Volume Growth rate

It is difficult to give any facts regarding Key Players

O Retailing of only eco-friendly products as eco-friendly, while the

Category A.4: No Retailing chains like FabIndia as well as export their

Location Organisation Retail Supply Manufacture Export Size