Aditya Birla Fashion collaborates with Germany's GIZ to boost circular biz

Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited (ABFRL) on Wednesday announced collaboration with Germany's GIZ, a move aimed at strengthening circular business practices for the Indian market.

The joint project will focus on material innovation, reducing inputs of harmful substances, increasing textile-to-textile recycling, developing alternatives to plastic packaging, and fostering traceability, said a joint statement from ABFRL and GIZ.

This initiative is part of the 'develoPPP programme' and is being implemented by ABFRL and GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The programme will complement existing business practices such as downcycling, recycling, reusing and introducing new sustainable production processes.

"With the support of GIZ, ABFRL along with the Indian industry players will be able to leverage circular business practices and adopt complex processes that are technically superior and consumer friendly," it said adding "this will support the industry to match supply and demand which was witnessing pressure due to resource constraints."

The Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a federal enterprise with worldwide operations.

It supports the German government in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development and international education. GIZ assists people and societies in shaping their own future and improving their living conditions.

ABFRL Managing Director Ashish Dikshit said: "There is a need to 'self-disrupt' existing practices and transition to a more circular approach. Promoting a common understanding is therefore crucial from a sustainable development perspective for the entire textile sector in India. Along with GIZ, we aim to create awareness among key stakeholders to drive circular approaches, reduce waste, and create closed-loop systems.

GIZ India Director Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resource Management Ashish Chaturvedi said: "The cooperation with ABFRL has great potential to help improve the sustainability of the Indian textile industry. In our opinion, combining the strength of both public and private partners is a win-win scenario, as it can create both developmental benefits for the local population and business benefits for the private companies."

ABFRL, part of the Aditya Birla Group, has a repertoire of leading brands such as Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Allen Solly and Peter England established for over 25 years. It also own fast fashion store brand Pantaloons.