The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI), in collaboration with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), has launched a landmark program titled Improving Transparency for Sustainable Business (ITSB). This initiative is set to transform India’s textile and apparel sector by strengthening sustainability practices, enhancing transparency, and enabling companies to meet global Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards as well as buyer expectations.
At the same event, GRI’s Draft Sector Standards for the Textile and Apparel Sector were unveiled by Gelkha Buitrago, Director (Sector Standards), Global Reporting Initiative.
Driving Sustainability in Indian Textiles
The ITSB program, supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), is designed to:
-
Improve ESG disclosures across the textile value chain
-
Enhance competitiveness of Indian textile and apparel exporters
-
Support small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in adopting sustainable practices
-
Foster inclusive growth and innovation in textile clusters
Highlighting the importance of this step, Ashwin Chandran, Deputy Chairman, CITI, said:
“The ITSB initiative will help in future-proofing India’s textile and apparel sector, open new avenues for growth, and help India’s textile and apparel companies being seen as responsible and sustainable manufacturers and exporters.”
Industry Leaders Call for a Competitive Sustainability Edge
As part of the launch event, a panel discussion on sustainability brought together key voices from the industry, including:
-
K M Subramanian, President, Tiruppur Exporters Association
-
K Sakthivel, Chairman, Powerloom Development & Export Promotion Council (PDEXCIL)
-
Animesh Saxena, General Secretary, Garments Exporters & Manufacturers Association (GEMA)
-
Rajneesh Rai, Associate Vice President, Shahi Exports
They collectively emphasized that embracing sustainability not only supports India’s environmental commitments but also provides companies a competitive edge in the global market.
Welcoming the initiative, K M Subramanian shared Tiruppur’s ambitious vision:
“Tiruppur is aiming to become a ‘Net Zero’ cluster by 2030.”
This aligns with India’s national commitment to achieving Net Zero by 2070.
Transforming MSMEs and Textile Clusters
India’s textile and apparel sector, which contributes nearly 2% to the country’s GDP, is dominated by micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The ITSB initiative seeks to ensure that smaller businesses are not left behind in the global sustainability transition.
By targeting key textile clusters across India, GRI and CITI aim to:
-
Build localized engagement and capacity for impact reporting
-
Encourage circular economy practices, waste management, and biodiversity preservation
-
Promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) across the workforce
-
Improve transparency in employment, health, and safety standards
-
Provide regulators and policymakers with reliable sustainability data for evidence-based policy-making
Benefits Across the Ecosystem
The ITSB program will serve as a multi-stakeholder platform, engaging businesses, industry associations, worker groups, investors, and policymakers.
-
Textile companies will gain access to tools, training, and frameworks to strengthen ESG reporting and meet global compliance norms.
-
Industry associations will benefit from collective knowledge-sharing and advocacy on sustainable practices.
-
Investors will have access to consistent and credible ESG data for responsible decision-making.
-
Worker associations will see improved transparency in labor practices, health, safety, and inclusivity.
-
Regulators and policymakers will be equipped with standardized sustainability data for governance and regulatory reforms.
Positioning India as a Global Sustainability Leader
By embedding sustainability and transparency as strategic advantages, rather than just compliance measures, ITSB aims to strengthen India’s position as a responsible manufacturing hub in the global textile and apparel supply chain.
With rising global scrutiny on ESG performance, initiatives like ITSB could help Indian exporters attract more buyers, increase market share, and secure long-term growth—all while contributing to the government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat and Net Zero 2070 goals.
