Can India Triple the Value of Its Fashion Sector While Halving Emissions?
By Flawless Magazine
India is fast becoming one of the world’s most watched fashion economies. With its textile heritage, robust manufacturing base, and surging domestic demand, the country is poised to triple the value of its fashion sector in the next decade. But there’s a critical twist: India is also aiming to cut its emissions in half.
This dual ambition — scaling an industry while radically decarbonising it — is no small feat. It will require visionary investment, systemic change, and a reinvention of what growth in fashion looks like.
The $160 Billion Question
India’s apparel and textile industry already generates over $80 billion in economic value and employs more than 45 million people. Government targets and market forecasts suggest that with the right infrastructure and export strategy, that figure could more than triple by 2035.
But growth on that scale, in a traditionally resource-intensive industry, risks exacerbating environmental degradation — unless it’s guided by deep commitments to efficiency and renewable transformation.
The Indian government has pledged to reduce emissions intensity by 45% by 2030 (compared to 2005 levels), and fashion is in the spotlight.
Energy Efficiency as Industrial Leverage
Most Indian garment factories rely on fossil fuels for their energy needs — coal-fired boilers for dyeing, diesel generators for power continuity, and inefficient lighting and ventilation systems.
Retrofitting these facilities with solar panels, LED infrastructure, and heat-exchange systems could slash emissions drastically. Some manufacturers, particularly export-focused ones, are already making the shift. Those that do are not only improving their environmental footprint but also insulating themselves from rising energy costs and the volatility of global fuel markets.
The Global Sourcing Pivot
International brands — particularly those based in the EU and US — are tightening supplier requirements around Scope 3 emissions and ESG disclosures. Indian manufacturers that can demonstrate reduced emissions, traceability, and ethical labour practices are increasingly favoured in sourcing contracts.
In fact, this environmental shift may become a competitive differentiator. Green factories are no longer just “compliant” — they’re strategic partners.
Investing in Regenerative Textiles
Beyond machinery and carbon metrics lies a quieter revolution: regenerative fibre production. Indigenous cotton varieties, such as Kala and Desi, offer resilience against climate change and require fewer chemical inputs. When combined with organic farming methods, they present a path to both environmental stewardship and rural empowerment.
Scaling these efforts, however, demands policy support, farmer education, and sustained investment — areas where India still faces gaps.
Circular Ambitions
If India’s fashion sector is to lead in sustainable growth, it must also embrace circularity. That means investing in textile recycling infrastructure, digitised inventory systems to prevent overproduction, and biodegradable or infinitely recyclable materials.
India’s legacy in reuse — think of the centuries-old traditions of repurposing saris or patchworking kantha quilts — gives it a cultural head start. The challenge now is to align this circular ethos with modern industrial scale.
The Cost of Inaction
If emissions are not curbed, India’s fashion boom could contribute disproportionately to global climate breakdown. And if its brands and manufacturers fall behind sustainability benchmarks, they risk exclusion from the very markets they hope to conquer.
Investors, too, are watching. ESG-conscious capital is increasingly influencing which companies receive funding — and at what terms.
Flawless Perspective
India has a rare opportunity to rewrite the narrative of fashion’s future — not as an industry driven by unchecked growth, but as one powered by equitable innovation, clean energy, and cultural authenticity.
To triple the fashion sector’s value while halving emissions is not just an engineering challenge — it’s a design one. It requires imagination, not just infrastructure.
If India succeeds, it will not only redefine its role in the global fashion economy but set a precedent for what sustainable development can look like for the rest of the world.
