DESI PITARA

MINIMIZING POST-INDUSTRIAL FABRIC WASTE

THESIS WRITTEN BY:

ISHITA JAIN AND MADHUJA JOSHI
ishitaj1923@soft.ac.in madhujaj1923@soft.ac.in

NOVEMBER 20, 2021

SCHOOL OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY (S.O.F. T) PUNE
Sr.13/1/2, Narhe Ambegaon, Opp. to Vision English Medium School, Maharashtra 411041
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

I.ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………………..2
II. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………………….……2
III. LITERATURE REVIEW……………………………………………………………………………....4

IV. OBJECTIVES…………………………………………………………………………………6
- RESEARCH QUESTIONS………………………………………………………………………...7
V. METHODOLODY…………………………………………………………………………….………..7

- DATA COLLECTION……………………………………………………………………………..7
- DATA ANALYSIS………………………………………………………………...………………8
- DESIGN INTERVENTION…………………………………………………………...…………...8
VI. CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………….…………….11
VII. BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………………….…………………12
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I. ABSTRACT
The shift in global textile thinking especially in terms of sustainability has had great influence on
the textile sector. Changed ideologies about waste creation, along with global concern about
environmental depletion, have prompted global markets and purchasers to impose the required
sanctions to improve work ethics and other circumstances. Along with this shift in perspective on
ecologically friendly clothing designs, there has been an increasing worry about waste, particularly
textile waste. There was a distinction of pre- and post-consumer textile waste. This study examines
the global thought processes wave, which is helping to welcome various new doors of opportunity
in the previously uncharted territory of redesigning textiles from fabric waste. The approach for
the article is based on secondary reporting and recorded data to create an analysis framework. This
conceptual study aims to identify and enumerate the many options available to a significant
population. It focuses on postindustrial/ pre-consumer waste produced as 'Chindis' by various
textile manufacturers, apparel, boutiques, fashion institutions, and so on.
In addition to this, we aim to inculcate the essence of traditional Indian textiles that define our
identity. In an age of quick communication and worldwide change, the sustainability, viability,
relevance and profitability of the craft sectors and industries have become a necessity. So, it is
time to look back at where we really came from!
Key words: Sustainability, chindis, textile waste, post-industrial waste, Traditional Indian Crafts,
Ecologically Friendly.

II. INTRODUCTION
Textile waste has been recycled in our country for generations. It made sense to someone who
weaved the very threads of a garment to ensure the durability and lifespan of the items for the
longest possible time. But what needs to be focused at is the issue of waste that is generated in the
process of manufacturing these very garments. In these days with sustainability being the new
way of life, it calls for us to incorporate such practices in our systems.
Sustainability is an adjective denoting something that can be sustained, something that can live for
a long of time. Starting from the outset, to sustain implies to "support", "hold up", "bear", or "keep
up". In the manufacturing industry, sustainability is critical. Textile waste utilization research is at
the top of the list of current market developments. The fashion business is becoming more
motivated to produce things with less societal consequence. Many new restrictions relating to
environmentally friendly production processes have been embraced by export and import. This
article focuses on the key steps taken by the fashion industry to make the world a better place for
the present and future generations. The viable recycling methods, as well as the hazard of textile
waste disposal, are explored.
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In -the contemporary context, every component of the textile business, from fiber
cultivation/production through transportation, as well as the life cycle evaluation, is designed with
sustainability as the main point.
‘CHINDI’ IS A WORD INDIA'S DRESSMAKERS USE TO DESCRIBE WASTE FABRIC.
According to some estimates, textile waste accounts for 5% of total landfill area in the United
States. This is true that the textile recycling industry recycles 3.8 billion pounds of textile waste per
year. This volume amounts for around 15% of total PCTW (Post Industrial Textile Waste). This
begs the issue of where the remaining 85 percent of waste cloth ends up. Is it disposed of in
landfills? Every US citizen discards 70 pounds of textiles each year on average. Since the mid-
1940s, charities and the post-consumer textile recycling business in the United States have
recycled or repurposed billions of pounds of clothes, home textiles, shoes, and accessories. Has
the major part of the waste been grabbed by landfills? Or have they opted for substandard waste?
It is time for us to re-route this waste!

Source: Pulse Report 2017

In the developing world, post-industrial textile waste has been identified as an increasing concern.
Due to the huge quantities of synthetic raw materials utilized and the lack of effective waste
management methods, Sri Lanka, as a leading clothing manufacturing hub, faces serious
environmental concerns from post-industrial textile waste.
The current situation of post-industrial textile waste in the Sri Lankan clothing manufacturing
business, as well as management attitudes toward implementing sustainable waste management
solutions, were investigated using a survey and interviews. According to the findings, a
manufacturing firm generates 10–20 tons of post-industrial textile waste every month, with
incineration being the favored disposal method, followed by landfilling.
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Measuring thousands of tones, discarded clothes and production waste are regularly shipped to
developing countries like India. India is also one of the largest producers and exporter of textiles
in the world. Not just are we producing waste in huge quantities, we are also accountable for the
bulk of this world’s textile waste. According to the most current trade statistics (2014–2016), India
imported 10 million pounds of chindi trim waste and exported more than 24 million pounds of
completed chindi carpets.
So, the problem of textile waste for Chindi is even closer home. The most prevalent definition of
chindi in India is 'torn fabric,' which may be found as a waste byproduct of the textile industry
(post-industrial).

Source: Sew Dynamic Fabrics Textile Pollution

III. LITERATURE REVIEW

The term "textile waste" refers to a piece of fabric that the owner no longer considers usable for
its original use. Fabric scraps from cutting, leftover fabrics from rolls, sampling yardage, damaged
fabrics, clothing samples, unsold items, and second-hand clothing trash are all examples of this
waste (Redress Design Award, n.d.). According to Gardetti and Torres (2013), post-consumer
waste and pre-consumer waste are the primary sources of fabric waste; they also indicate that pre-
consumer waste comprises unsold and damaged stock. Pre-consumer wastes, according to Agrawal
et al. (2013), are by-products of the textile, fibre, or fabric industries that are formed during
manufacture.
When we say leftover fabrics, we mean the fabric that remains at the end of the roll after the marker
has been applied and the outfits have been cut out. Fabric scraps, on the other hand, are smaller
fabric bits found in between the pattern sections. They are naturally formed as the negative space
between the pattern pieces after a garment has been cut. The researcher focuses on fabric scraps
left after cutting in this study since these remnants are commonly discarded in landfills. According
to Reverse Resources (2016), unless items are intended for zero-waste production, it is impossible
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to prevent cutting scraps and flaws; higher production numbers carry with them larger quantities
of leftovers per product.
As a result, waste happens in higher-volume production, which means that the quantity and size
of the product are both large. The fabric scrap, on the other hand, might be defined by the product's
design or style.
These leftover materials can be utilized for new financial breakthroughs and advances.
7 End-of-roll fabric, or fabric leftover in general, is a big issue for many businesses, as many firms
order more fabric than necessary to restock or avoid fabric shortages in the case that more products
are ordered than anticipated (Gardetti & Torres, 2013)
Textile waste is a big problem and an inescapable scenario in the fashion sector, according to
Common Objective (2018). It occurs all the way through the production chain, through consumer
usage, and all the way to end-of-life disposal. Fabric waste is generated in a variety of ways,
beginning with textile manufacturing and continuing through garment production to customers.
Tojo et al. (2012) proposed three major criteria for reducing textile consumption: (i) minimize
consumption of new textiles, (ii) extend the lifespan of existing textile goods, and (iii) reuse and
recycle textiles that are no longer needed for their original purpose.
According to Reverse Resources (2016), a study was undertaken with over 40 managers
questioned at garment manufacturers in Europe and Asia, and several common trends were
discovered. According to Reverse Resources' prediction, the globe would generate 40 billion sq.m.
of leftover textiles per year, covering a definite portion of the landfill (Reverse Resources, 2016).
According to Edge Fashion Intelligence (n.d.), garment manufacturing more than doubled between
2000 and 2014, yet only around 60% is purchased by consumers. Most of it is unlikely to be
repurposed, and 40% of it is likely to end up in a landfill.
When this occurs, the greater expectation is that both pre- and post-consumer fabric waste may
end up in a landfill. According to Cuc and Vidovic (2014), the United Kingdom creates 1.5 - 2
million tons of clothing waste each year. Of this, 63 percent enters the home trash stream and is
disposed of in landfills, 16 percent is recovered, and 21 percent goes unaccounted for in what is
thought to be the "national wardrobe," which is the second-hand clothes business.
This suggests that a major portion of pre-consumer fabric waste occurs in the cutting room.
According to Harmony (2020), textile waste accounts for 5% of landfill area in the United States.
Despite this, only roughly 3.8 billion pounds of post-consumer textile waste is recycled each year,
accounting for approximately 15% of total post-consumer trash, with the other 85 percent ending
up in landfills.
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Source: Circular Apparel

IV. OBJECTIVES
Textile waste can occur at any point throughout the manufacturing process in the garment industry.
Bamisaye and Adeitan (2018) verified that fabric might be lost at each stage of the manufacturing
process. To increase the sustainability of the fashion business, certain companies have taken the
lead in recycling and reusing textile waste. According to Walter et al. (2019), certain firms, such
as H&M, intend to use pre-consumer textile waste, with a concentration on cotton yarns and fabric
scraps.
H&M, in collaboration with ICO, accepts old clothing from customers who bring it to their drop-
off box. The firm provides three options for these clothes: recycled, reuse, and rewear. The nice
ones are offered as second-hand clothing. Some of them are recycled into new products or cleaning
cloths, while others are shredded into textile fibres and utilized as insulation materials and other
materials. Sustainability (Beeler, 2017)
Post-consumer trash shoes are recycled and utilized for new goods in Nike's sustainability
initiative. In 1990, Nike launched the reuse of a shoe initiative.
Evrnu, on the other hand, converts post-consumer cotton textile waste into high-quality biobased
fibre (Enrvu 2015a). The firm gathers used cotton textile waste, removes the colours, pulps it, and
breaks it down into fiber.
Levi Strauss & Co. recycles used plastic bottles and black food trays into fiber. Levi Strauss and
Company products include a minimum of 20% post-consumer waste. These businesses seek to
ensure the sustainability of the environment, and although some focus on waste items, such as
converting plastic bottles into garments, others focus on worn clothing for upcycling, or clothing
from individuals who no longer need it.
However, there is a gap in the research when it comes to looking at the possibility for financial
benefit from the utilization of fabric waste in clothes manufacturing enterprises and preventing
fabric waste from ending up in landfills, which was the goal of this case study.
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Palm Skold (2015), Walter et al. (2019), Amaral et al. (2018), Sadin and Peters (2018), and many
other papers explore reusing and recycling old or worn garments, but few studies describe how
fabric scraps are utilized to meet waste reduction goals.
As a result, the purpose of this research is to offer viable methods for eliminating fabric waste
from factories for economic benefit, as well as how advantageous this would be for the nation in
terms of environmental pollution. To meet the purpose of this study, the following research
questions are recommended.

Source: waste360.com
i. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. What are the manufacturing procedures, and how does fabric waste occur throughout the
manufacturing process?
2. What are some ideas for decreasing fabric waste in the textile manufacturing industry, such as
pattern creation, cutting, and recycling?
3. How may textile leftovers from cut patterns be recycled and reused to create commercial
products?

V. METHODOLOGY

i. DATA COLLECTION
This is a practice-based study that used qualitative research methodologies. The qualitative
approach used in the study aids in illuminating the behavior and opinions of the targeted audience
on a given issue. According to Creswell (2014), qualitative research is a strategy for investigating
and comprehending the meanings of people or groups to a social or human situation.
This research study involved the practice-based research that the researcher has undertaken. This
procedure was divided into two parts: pattern-making and craft-making, in which fabric remnants
were used to create wearable and sellable outfits. The researcher investigated techniques to reduce
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fabric waste throughout the patternmaking process, including zero waste patternmaking, minimal
waste patternmaking, and fabric scrap reuse. The goal was to eliminate fabric waste before garment
manufacture through pattern-making.

ii. DATA ANALYSIS

Through personal interviews and site visits it was found that the chindis, that were major cause of
post-industrial waste production are produced mostly throughout the pattern-making process.
While pattern making is crucial, creating a good design and style is also necessary for fabric
management and eliminating needless fabric waste during cutting before sewing (Bhati, 2011).
Traditional pattern creation is the most common approach for obtaining patterns, but it might waste
a lot of fabric during the cutting process.
Zero waste fashion design or pattern creation is cost-effective and resourceful; the producer
benefits from using every scrap of fabric in the garment manufacturing. However, this does not
imply that fewer textiles are used in the pattern-making or cutting processes. Extra material may
be utilized for the removal of darts and the cutting of square forms, but this is all part of the design
and nothing will be wasted (Rissanen, 2013). According to Sinha et al. (2016), in the process of
zero waste pattern manufacturing, textiles are cut in uniform forms from selvage to selvage, and
the garment's design is primarily produced during the sewing process. Furthermore, Rissanen
(2008) noted in Sinha et al. (2016) that some professionals of this method have conceived and
constructed patterns that can be cut for multiple designs on the same cloth to create two or three
outfits at the same time, leaving no waste fabric from the cut and sew procedure. This means that
throughout the maker-making process, other smaller designs can be put into the marker, especially
if it is a single design to make use of useless areas of the fabric.

iii. DESIGN INTERVENTION

"Change begins at home," as we frequently say, and should put it into practice. One approach to
do so is to improve how we handle the textile waste we produce. The field of sustainable
development has made us want to explore ways to redirect the chindis that we practically produced
everyday into something useful and worthful at the same time.
We started looking around ourselves to fall right back at where we come from, the fraternity we
belong to. Having noticed the amount of muslin scrap/ chindis we generate within our college; it
became essential to acknowledge this issue being not only limited to us but on a much larger scale.
Considering that us being Textile Design students, felt the need to summon back to the roots of
our culture, to enlighten the conscience of traditional Indian textiles in the society.
Thereafter, we created a fusion DIY box called “Desi Pitara” that aims to revive the essence of
various crafts of India in a kit that seamlessly amalgamates both the beauty and rawness of our
cultural identity into just one small box which helps you define and find your own-self.
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This box comes with: 2 blank canvases, a few carved wooden blocks, 6 ply white yarns, a big-
eyed needle, sponge, natural indigo powder, paint brush

THE PROCESS
1. Collected discarded muslin fabric scrapes/ chindis and joined them together by a simple
running stitch.
2. The base is prepared by coating the cloth with the soft, white, stone powder of chalk and
glue made from tamarind seeds-
Fenugreek seeds help attract the bacteria needed to fermentation and is rich with a wide
variety of metabolites such as tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids and glycosides
which are known to have antimicrobial properties, it will therefore increase the life of these
cloth paper.
This process takes its inspiration from one of the oldest and most popular art forms
of Odisha, the name 'Pattachitra'
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3. Collected hand carved wooden blocks that leads us to our second craft influence, Ajrak that
is described as a technique of block-printing done by the Khatri community in Ajrakhpur
village in Kutch district, Gujarat and Barmer, Rajasthan. Indigo is the key dye used in the
craft and thus justifies our use of the same.
4. Kantha is a type of embroidery craft in the eastern regions of the Indian subcontinent which
is a centuries-old tradition of stitching patchwork cloth from rags. It uses running stitch to
decorate the body of the fabric.

Our DIY kit comes in an eco-friendly “potli” as it’s made using “chindis”. Opening this “potli”
feels no less than unravelling a “pitara” of surprises. The personal best aspect being that you
can co-ordinate this potli as an accessory to highlight your simple outfits.
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Our mission—to find design-led solutions to the problem of textile and fashion waste. We recycle
this pre-consumer textile waste to create sustainable materials and handcrafted products. We make
from nothing and We make for impact.
"Creating sustainable lifestyle entails more than just about using eco-friendly materials; it has a lot
to do with the way we interact with the environment around us, and our way of life.

VI. CONCLUSION
The fashion business generates more garbage than any other industrial sector on the planet. Fabric
scraps, pre- and post-consumer wastes, and dyes, among other things, are now contributing to
many types of environmental contamination. Recycling and upcycling activities have recently
been advocated to combat the environmental dangers posed by fabric waste. While recycling and
upcycling initiatives are becoming more popular, they are insufficient to cope with the numerous
types of trash created by the fashion industry in general, particularly throughout the garment
production process.
This research aims to use or reroute fabric waste generated during the garment production process.
The study's objectives were to answer the following questions:
a) How do fabric wastes originate throughout the manufacturing process ?
b) What are the potential methods for using fabric waste and giving them a purpose?
Working with fabric scraps as the only source when constructing a design was a significant
difficulty in terms of ensuring uniformity in construction as well as finding effective methods for
mass manufacturing. Given that customer needs determine fashion trends and marketplaces, we
advise that talks be held to offer a purpose for the inevitable chindis that will be made throughout
production.
Our little minds have put some design interventions and our small hands have put together for you
this box, so that you can everyone can make a difference to the society in respect to sustainability
and revival of traditional Indian crafts.
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VII. BIBLIOGRAPHY
• Agrawal, Y., Barhanpurka, S., & Joshi, A. (2013). Recycle textiles waste—Textile Review
magazine
• Beeler, C. (2017). How good is H&M’s clothing recycling program? Retrieved September
from https://www.wgbh.org/news/2017/12/11/how-good-hms-clothing-recycling-
program
• Bhati M. (2011). Basics of pattern making. Retrieved from
https://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/5658/basics-of-pattern-making.
• Edge Fashion Intelligence (n.d). Fashion Industry Waste Statistics. Retrieved from
https://edgexpo.com/fashion-industry-waste-statistics/
• Bryman, A. (2012). Social research methods, 4th edition, New York: Oxford University
Press Inc. Clothing industry. (2020).
• Basics of Pattern Making in Garment Industry. Retrieved from
https://clothingindustry.blogspot.com/2018/01/pattern-making-garment.html Common
Objective. (2018).
• Fashion and Waste: An Uneasy Relationship. Retrieved from
https://www.commonobjective.co/article/fashion-and-waste-an-uneasy-relationship
• Gardetti, M. A., & Torres, L. A. (2013). Sustainability in Fashion and Textiles: Values.
Design, Production and Consumption (Sheffield, UK.
• Redress Design Award (n.d) Sourcing Textile Waste. Retrieved from
https://www.redressdesignaward.com/learn/sourcing.
• Reverse Resources, (2016). How much does the garment industry actually waste?
Retrieved from [https://reverseresources.net/news/how-much-does-garment-industry-
actually-waste]
• McQuillan, H (2011). Zero waste design practice: strategies and risks taken for garment
design. Earthscan, London pp 83-97.
• Rissanen T & McQuillan H (2016), Zero waste fashion Design. Fairchild books, New York
pp 1- 14 Rissanen, T. I. (2008). Creating fashion without the creation of fabric waste.
Sustainable Fashion why Now? A conversation about issues, practices, and possibilities.
• Rissanen, T. I. (2013). Zero-waste fashion design: a study at the intersection of cloth,
fashion design and pattern cutting (Doctoral dissertation).
• POSSIBLE WAYS OF MINIMIZING FABRIC WASTE: A CASE STUDY OF KAD
MANUFACTURING LIMITED, GHANA Sustainable recycling: from textile waste to
chindi rugs
https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/textiles-
material-specific-data
• Managing post-industrial textile waste: current status and prospects for Sri Lanka
• D. G. K. Dissanayakea Department of Textile & Clothing Technology, University of
Moratuwa, Katubedda, Sri Lanka
• https://etd.ohiolink.edu/apexprod/rws_etd/send_file/send?accession=kent1619198478121
933&disposition=inline
• Managing Textile Waste through Recycling - Fibre2Fashion www.fibre2fashion.com
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• Textile Waste Management and Processing | Request PDF www.researchgate.net

• Gloria Makifui Mifetu
Fiber and Textile Waste Utilization - Youjiang Wang
Georgia Institute of Technology
• World Views | October 1, 2018 | By: Bimal Kad
https://www.chindi.in/