24/7 Space News
TECH SPACE
India's green fashion lovers switch to secondhand
India's green fashion lovers switch to secondhand
By Asma HAFIZ
New Delhi (AFP) Oct 25, 2024

India's enormous garment sector churns out billions of dollars' worth of new clothes each year, but some local fashion lovers are switching to secondhand to assuage worries about the industry's environmental impact.

It is a tiny drop in a massive ocean, but hipster shoppers in the capital New Delhi say their example is slowly shifting the throwaway attitudes rampant among India's middle class.

New Delhi is dotted with markets offering secondhand clothes, a thrifty alternative for those on low wages -- or making an ethical choice.

"It's an environmentally conscious decision," said Yuvika Choudhary, a 21-year-old student shopping for vintage clothes.

There is rarely an effective system for recycling clothing in India, with waste overflowing in towering landfills.

Kriti Tula, 36, used repurposed fabric to found the fashion brand Doodlage in 2012.

When she started, she was worried about telling shoppers her products were made from waste.

But a decade later she said there was a greater awareness of the importance of sustainability.

"It's important to circulate things that are already existing," Tula said. "The only way to circulate them is to think of ways to rent, to thrift and to repair."

India is the world's fifth biggest garment exporter, with the trade worth $15 billion in 2023, according to the World Trade Organization.

The industry employs 45 million people, according to the government-backed Invest India agency, nearly the same as the population of Spain.

- 'Consumption' -

Some in India turned to thrift shopping after being restricted at home during the Covid-19 pandemic and finding online stores promoted on social media.

Neha Butt, 33, first ran her secondhand clothes business on Instagram before opening a physical store in the capital New Delhi in 2022.

She said her Huckleberry Hangers store would have been unthinkable before the "help of Instagram and because of climate awareness".

The market is microscopic compared to the industrial production of new garments, but shoppers say it is more about the message that it sends -- and changing attitudes has to start somewhere.

Swati Sambyal, an expert in the circular economy, warned that effective resource management required tackling the mass generation of textiles in the first place.

"When it comes to textile waste as an issue, we also have to address both generation as well as consumption patterns," she said.

Sambyal said some brands were shifting to using natural textiles, including ones made from banana and pineapple fibres, in a bid to reduce their environmental impact.

But in the end, she said, nothing will change unless the consumer changes too.

"It depends entirely on the consumer," she said. "It's at their will and decision."

Related Links
Space Technology News - Applications and Research

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
TECH SPACE
Successful test could lead to discovery of element 120
Paris, France (SPX) Oct 25, 2024
Scientists have discovered a new method to produce atoms of the superheavy element livermorium, potentially paving the way for the creation of element 120, which would be the heaviest element yet discovered. Researchers are motivated by the quest to find an element stable enough to resist rapid decay. A theory in nuclear physics suggests the existence of an "island of stability" where superheavy elements could remain stable for longer periods. Scientists aim to investigate the upper limits of atom ... read more

TECH SPACE
SpaceX Crew-8 astronauts undock from ISS, begin journey home to Earth

Don't let tech gurus decide the future: Nobel winner Simon Johnson

NASA continues to assess Solar Sail system progress following deployment

Space-ng Introduces AstroVision at Silicon Valley Space Week

TECH SPACE
US Space Force awards SpaceX over $733M for national security launch services

Southern Launch and Varda secure Australian approval for spacecraft re-entry at Koonibba Test Range

Space Force Funds $35M Space Propulsion Institute Led by U-M

Rocket Lab Adds Mission to 2024 Launch Schedule, Prepares for Launch in Days

TECH SPACE
USTC unveils high-energy Mars battery with extended lifespan for exploration

NASA selects crew for 45-day simulated Mars mission in Houston

Potential microbial habitats in Martian ice

Perseverance just keeps roving across Mars

TECH SPACE
China to launch 14th manned mission to Tiangong Space Station

China sets ambitious space science development goals through 2050

China successfully retrieves first reusable test satellite Shijian-19

China unveils new lunar spacesuit design ahead of moon mission

TECH SPACE
Eutelsat America and OneWeb to provide Enhanced Satellite Services for US Govt

SpaceX launches OneWeb 20 mission

Intelsat expands satellite backhaul services in Nigeria and West Africa

China deploys 18 new satellites for Spacesail network

TECH SPACE
India's green fashion lovers switch to secondhand

Advances in 3D-printed concrete boost strength, durability, and eco-friendly potential

Radiation belt exploration boosted by smallsat constellation mission CORBES

Successful test could lead to discovery of element 120

TECH SPACE
SwRI and JPL study reveals liquid brine flows on airless worlds

It's twins mystery of famed brown dwarf solved

Astronomers Use New Technique to Search for Alien Signals Between Planets

Using AI to find the smallest and closest exoplanets around sun-like stars

TECH SPACE
NASA and SpaceX Set for Europa Clipper Launch on October 14

NASA probe Europa Clipper lifts off for Jupiter's icy moon

Is life possible on a Jupiter moon? NASA goes to investigate

NASA launches probe to study if life possible on icy Jupiter moon

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.