ABFRL partners with Germany’s GIZ to promote circularity in India

Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd (ABFRL) has partnered with GIZ (Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit), a German development agency, to promote innovative circular solutions in the Indian apparel and textile industry.

The collaborative project will focus on material innovation, lowering harmful substance inputs, enhancing textile-to-textile recycling, creating alternatives to plastic packaging, and fostering traceability.

This project is part of the ‘develoPPP program,’ and it is being implemented on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development by ABFRL and GIZ (BMZ).

The program will supplement existing corporate practices such as downcycling, recycling, and reusing, as well as introduce new sustainable manufacturing technologies.

ABFRL said in an announcement that with the help of GIZ, ABFRL and Indian industry players will be able to leverage circular business practices and adopt complex processes that are technically superior and consumer-friendly,  this will help the industry match supply and demand, which has been under pressure due to resource constraints.

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a government-owned company with operations all over the world. It assists the German government in the areas of international development cooperation and international education. GIZ works with individuals and communities to help them shape their own futures and improve their living conditions.

Ashish Dikshit, ABFRL Managing Director, said that there is a need to ‘self-disrupt’ old methods and migrate to a more circular approach. Promoting a common understanding is therefore critical for the entire textile sector in India’s long-term development. Together with GIZ, they want to raise awareness among key stakeholders about the importance of circular approaches, waste reduction, and closed-loop systems.

Ashish Chaturvedi, GIZ India’s Director of Environment, Climate Change, and Natural Resource Management, said that the collaboration with ABFRL has the potential to significantly improve the Indian textile industry’s long-term viability. Combining the strengths of both public and private partners, in their perspective, is a win-win situation, as it may provide both developmental and business benefits to the local community.

Dieter Frick, Project Manager, GIZ Germany, said that ABFRL and GIZ have developed a concept and will pool their capacities for three years under this funding program to find and implement circular business approaches to strengthen a sustainable Indian textile and apparel industry with other sector partners, based on common interests.

ABFRL, which is part of the Aditya Birla Group, has a 25-year history of leading brands like Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Allen Solly, and Peter England. Pantaloons, a quick fashion retailer, is also owned by the company.