Address by R.K. Vij, Advisor – Polyester, Indorama Synthetics (India) Ltd
4th Edition Sustainable Textiles Summit 2025 | September 17, 2025
Compiled by: Salil Chawla, Director, DFU Publications.
It is my privilege as Chair to welcome all of you to this important gathering—a confluence of global insights, national policy directions, technological breakthroughs, and industry commitments—all united by a single goal: building a truly sustainable future for the textile sector.
This year’s theme, “Innovating Towards a Sustainable Future Strategy in the Textile Industry,” is not just a discussion point—it is a call to action.
We stand at a defining moment where rising global and consumer demands for transparency and sustainability bring both challenges and immense opportunities.
Our industry must confront its environmental footprint—be it water consumption, chemical waste, or carbon emissions—and redefine its relationship with the planet. Yet, within these challenges lies the roadmap for a transformative future.
This summit will serve as a blueprint for that journey.
We believe the Government of India must play a pivotal role in this transition. We urge policymakers to offer targeted incentives—such as tax benefits and supportive mechanisms—to accelerate recycling, circular economy adoption, and green innovation. A forward-thinking approach will strengthen sustainability efforts and help Indian textiles maintain global leadership.
In fact, the government has already taken a landmark step by mandating the use of recycled PET bottles in food and beverage packaging. Starting this year, recycled content will scale progressively from 30% to 70% over the next five years. This is crucial—plastic waste takes centuries to decompose and continues to harm our environment.
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Looking ahead, we must focus on:
Scaling textile recycling and next-gen materials
Policy and regulatory alignment for circular design
Accelerating technology adoption in sustainable manufacturing
Strengthening ethical and social goals across the value chain
Building public-private-global partnerships to transform ideas into action
We also appreciate the government’s decision to reduce GST on downstream MMM fibers from 18% and 12% to 5%, a move that supports recycling and textile sustainability. However, we request that basic raw materials used for MMM fiber production—currently taxed higher—also be brought down to 5% to avoid duty inversion and enable competitiveness.
On behalf of the Chair and PHDCCI, I extend my gratitude to policymakers, innovators, manufacturers, brand leaders, researchers, and thought partners present here. This summit represents our collective commitment.
Let us innovate together, share our strengths, and co-create a green, inclusive textile future for India and the world.
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