Beyond Fast Fashion: India’s Looming Textile Waste Crisis and the Road to Sustainability

source

From polluted rivers to mountains of landfill, the dark side of fast fashion threatens India’s environment. Experts say the solution lies in changing mindsets, reviving sustainable practices, and regulating overproduction.

India, one of the world’s largest textile producers, is now grappling with a growing environmental disaster—textile waste. Cities like Bengaluru are struggling to manage massive heaps of discarded clothes choking landfills, while rivers like the Noyyal in Tamil Nadu and the Bandi in Rajasthan are turning toxic due to relentless chemical waste from textile industries.

Once lifelines for nearby communities, these rivers are now unfit for consumption, showcasing the harsh reality of unchecked industrial pollution.

The Fast Fashion Fallout

The fashion industry, driven by ever-changing trends and rising consumerism, has quietly become one of the largest contributors to environmental pollution. Globally, India stands out not just for its rich textile heritage but also for the scale of its production—and now, its waste. Contributing 11% of the country’s GDP, the industry also generates a staggering 7,800 kilotonnes of textile waste annually, placing India third in global textile waste production.

“The impact of social media on the mindsets of people is huge,” says Anurag Yashvardhan, Senior Designer at Siyaram’s. “Generally, people buy more clothes out of influence rather than need.”

With platforms like Instagram and quick-turnover fashion apps driving trends, consumer behavior has shifted from necessity to impulse. The rise of fast fashion—cheap, trendy, and short-lived clothing—has accelerated overproduction, where excessive demand meets an oversupply, leading to massive textile waste.

source

Landfills Overflowing, Soil Suffering

Most unused or discarded clothes eventually end up in landfills, where they take years to decompose. During this time, chemicals from synthetic fabrics seep into the soil, pollute groundwater, and release methane, a greenhouse gas that significantly contributes to global warming

“Overproduction occurs due to high demand, excessive supply, and inaccurate estimates of fabric requirements,” explains an industry analyst. “Fast fashion’s speed-focused model has made textile waste unavoidable.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking at Bharat Tex 2025, warned that waste from fast fashion could reach 148 million tonnes by 2030, underscoring the urgency of shifting to sustainable production and consumption.

Digital Shopping Boom & Post-COVID Trends

The post-pandemic world has only intensified the issue. With the digital boom and rise of e-commerce, shopping is now just a click away.

“Post-COVID, there was a fundamental shift in how consumers buy products,” notes Ankit Jaipuria, Co-founder of Zyod, a tech-enabled fashion platform. “People now shop every second on their mobile phones.”

This convenience-driven consumption fuels demand, and brands continue to overproduce to stay ahead of trends—only to add more to the waste cycle.

The Path Forward: Circular Fashion & Conscious Consumption

Experts suggest that India can lead the charge toward sustainable fashion by promoting:

• Recycling and upcycling textiles

• Enforcing stricter regulations on industrial waste

• Supporting eco-conscious startups

• Reviving traditional, sustainable practices like natural dyeing and handloom weaving

But the biggest shift needs to happen in mindsets. Consumers must transition from impulsive shopping to thoughtful buying, while industries must adopt sustainable production models.

Fast fashion may be trendy, but its consequences are not. As India stitches together its future, the focus must shift from style to sustainability—before the environmental cost becomes irreversible.