Denim Deal India Hub to accelerate denim circularity across Asia

Thu, Sep 11, 2025, 6:32 AM 3 min read

The Denim Deal India Hub was established through a partnership between the Global Alliance for Textile Sustainability Council (GATS) and global venture builder Enviu.

A memorandum of understanding formalising this collaboration was also signed by the three parties in August.

The newly established India Hub will offer brands with access to verified recycled fibres, tools to track environmental impact, and assistance in developing circular collections ready for market introduction.

It will also provide training, certification pathways, and avenues into more lucrative markets for recyclers and mills.

Retailers and manufacturers can also engage in pilot programmes, create capsule collections within the hub and implement credible programmes for product take-back and reuse.

Additionally, technology companies providing traceability, digital identification, or life cycle assessment and design for disassembly tools can collaborate with the hub to facilitate supply chain transparency.

Denim Deal board member Nicolas Prophte said: “We’re proud to announce a new milestone for the Denim Deal Foundation: launching our India hub in collaboration with GATS and Enviu. India offers a unique opportunity to lead the way in fashion circularity, with its large market, advanced recycling tech, and strong denim industry. We hope India becomes a global model for sustainability and inspires other countries to follow suit."

The partners are focused on increasing the use of post-consumer recycled (PCR) cotton in denim manufacturing within India and its export markets.

India is one of the largest producers of denim garments and has a rapidly expanding domestic market. Yet, its circular supply chains for textiles “remain fragmented”.

The Denim Deal India Hub aims to address this issue by consolidating technical expertise, infrastructure capabilities, and brand collaboration within a single system known as the Denim Deal Certified Recycled Fiber (DDCRF) standard.

Denim Deal will contribute its expertise and standards while facilitating knowledge exchange and connecting international brands with Indian operations or sourcing networks.

GATS will act as the operational leader on-site with its extensive network of collectors, sorters, recyclers, and manufacturers, while Enviu will spearhead innovation pilots, monitor impacts, and cultivate long-term business models for the hub.

GATS founder Parvinder Singh stated: “Our members across India are already recovering and processing textile waste. The India Hub gives us the structure to scale those efforts and deliver certified recycled materials trusted by international brands.”