Arvind Limited, one of India’s major textile-to-retail companies, has partnered with Peak Sustainability Ventures, a Mumbai-based climate investment firm, to set up a large cotton stalk torrefaction plant in Gujarat. The plant will have a capacity of over 40,000 tonnes per year and will help Arvind reduce its carbon emissions while promoting large-scale torrefaction in India.

The facility will convert cotton stalks into torrefied biomass, which can be used as a cleaner replacement for coal in Arvind’s boilers, lowering the use of fossil fuels. This will be India’s first industrial-scale torrefaction project for cotton stalks and aims to serve as a practical and scalable model for industries looking to move away from coal.

Peak has played a key role in bringing the project together by designing the reactor, selecting the technology partner and providing funding. For Arvind, the project supports its goal of becoming a completely coal-free company by 2030. Locally, the plant will create non-farming jobs, support economic development and make use of cotton stalks that would otherwise decay or be burned in fields.

The project will also help Arvind’s global customers reduce their Scope 3 emissions by lowering the carbon footprint of their supply chain. For Peak, the project aligns with India’s larger sustainability goals by making better use of agricultural waste and paving the way for cleaner energy.

Arvind has received a grant from the Apparel Impact Institute’s (Aii) Climate Solutions Portfolio Grant program for this project. Aii supports the testing and scaling of promising climate solutions for the textile sector. This project was selected for its potential to help textile manufacturers adopt biomass as a transition fuel in a practical and affordable way.