H&M Foundation and Global Fashion Agenda Visit Panipat to Catalyze a New Era of Circularity and Sustainability in Textiles
In a landmark development for the global fashion and textile industry, a high-level delegation from the H&M Foundation and the Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) visited Panipat, India’s largest textile recycling hub, at the invitation of the Global Alliance for Textile Sustainability Council (GATS). The visit marked a significant step toward advancing a circular, inclusive, and sustainable textile economy that balances environmental responsibility with social impact.
The delegation included Carola Tembe (Project Director), Jodith Tesfai (Project Manager), and Elin Hallerby (Communications Lead) from the H&M Foundation, joined by Lennart Bernhoft, COO of Global Fashion Agenda. They were received by GATS Chairman Parvinder Singh and supported by GATS core members Harshit Kakkar, Archish Kansal, and Sanjay Chauhan.
Showcasing Panipat’s Circular Supply Chain
During their visit, the delegation toured Panipat’s integrated waste-to-product ecosystem, witnessing first-hand how the region is pioneering closed-loop textile recycling. GATS demonstrated the critical role Panipat plays in transforming post-consumer textile waste into valuable new materials, particularly in the home furnishing and apparel segments.
The delegation explored the breadth of innovation taking place at the grassroots level and engaged with local recyclers, manufacturers, and labor representatives. The tour highlighted how collaboration between global brands and regional actors can scale up circular practices, improve working conditions, and unlock economic value.
Focus Areas: Waste, Value & Inclusion
Key discussions during the visit centered around three transformative areas:
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Scaling Textile Waste Recycling: Identifying scalable strategies to divert increasing volumes of textile waste from landfill and incineration toward recycling streams.
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Enhancing Economic Value for Recyclers: Building models that increase the profitability of recycling operations, making sustainability a sound business case for MSMEs.
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Empowering the Informal Workforce: Addressing labor challenges in the recycling chain by focusing on better working conditions, social protection, and skill development for informal workers—many of whom are women.
Panipat’s Expanded Vision: From Waste to Wardrobe
Beyond recycling, GATS shared its ambitious vision to evolve Panipat into a global sustainable sourcing hub for apparel, leveraging its deep-rooted capabilities in home furnishings. The plan includes building circular apparel manufacturing capacity, guided by strong principles of environmental sustainability and social equity.
This vision is backed by GFA’s “Green Threads & Weaves” initiative, conducted in partnership with the Foundation for MSME Clusters, which works to integrate sustainability into the business models of local enterprises.
Collaborative Path Forward
Under the stewardship of Parvinder Singh, GATS has become a catalyst for transformative change—bridging the gap between international brands and local recyclers, while advocating policy reforms and supporting pilot programs that demonstrate scalable circular practices.
“The visit is not just a symbolic gesture,” said a GATS spokesperson. “It reflects a growing global commitment to developing replicable models that link environmental responsibility with inclusive economic development.”
With global stakeholders now actively engaged, Panipat is poised to serve as a blueprint for other textile-producing regions seeking to transition toward circularity. This collaborative approach aims to ensure the textile industry becomes more transparent, regenerative, and socially just—meeting the evolving expectations of conscious consumers and responsible brands.
