ReFiber Unveils Textile Circularity White Paper, Mumbai Pilot Offers Scalable Model For India
· Free Press Journal
Mumbai: ReFiber has unveiled its white paper, “Mumbai Textile Circular Economy Demonstration Project”, at Bharat Tex 2026, presenting a technology-based model to manage used textile waste across Indian cities.
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The paper was presented at the Eco Stitch Sustainability and Circularity Hub, an initiative of the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India and the Global Alliance for Textile Sustainability Council.
Mumbai Pilot
The project was launched on World Environment Day 2026 at the World Trade Center Mumbai. It was powered by OterRi and implemented with Tisser, CMAI, UNIDO, World Trade Center Mumbai and Lions International.
During the demonstration, ReFiber recovered 2.7 tonnes of post-consumer textiles. It received 275 collection orders from 257 citizens through 15 laundry partners operating across 28 branches.
The project showed that existing neighbourhood service networks, such as laundries, can collect unwanted clothes efficiently. This approach can reduce the need to create a separate logistics network for textile collection.
Digital Tracking
The model combined doorstep collection, citizen participation, digital traceability, women-led upcycling and responsible recycling. Every step was brought under one system to make textile recovery more organised, transparent and measurable.
The white paper highlighted six problems: lack of waste segregation, citizen incentives, traceability, organised collection facilities, links with recyclers and upcyclers, and tools to measure impact.
ReFiber said technology can help address these gaps while supporting women-led enterprises, Self-Help Groups and local businesses. Collected textiles can be reused, upcycled or recycled instead of being sent to landfills.
Expansion Plan
ReFiber Chairman Shrikant Bhangdiya said the initiative aims to turn textile waste into a resource through a transparent and scalable circular system.
Manoj Wanvari, COO of OterRi and ReFiber, said the model would be expanded using data, technology and partnerships.
The company plans to grow the programme from Navi Mumbai to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, then Maharashtra and eventually parts of India. The paper was shared with policymakers, textile industry leaders, government officials and international organisations at Bharat Tex 2026.