PM Modi inaugurates Bharat Tex 2024 India’s largest textiles mega event

Besides policymakers and global CEOs, Bharat Tex has attracted over 3,500 exhibitors, over 3,000 buyers from over 50 countries, and more than 40,000 trade visitors from 100 countries.

Bharat Tex 2024,a global textile mega event in the textile industry, was officially launched today at Delhi’s Bharat Mandapam by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This monumental event is orchestrated by a collaborative effort of 11 Textile Export Promotion Councils, with backing from the Ministry of Textiles. Built on the twin pillars of trade and investment and with an overarching focus on sustainability, the 4-day event promises to be a tapestry of tradition and technology, attracting, besides policymakers and global CEOs, over 3,500 exhibitors, over 3,000 buyers from over 50 countries, and more than 40,000 trade visitors from 100 countries. An exhibition spread across nearly 2 million sq ft of area and encompassing the entire textile value chain, will help position India as a global powerhouse in textiles, showcasing its capabilities and generating momentum throughout the entire Indian textiles ecosystem.

Bharat Tex 2024 is a prominent international industry platform, featuring exhibitions, knowledge sessions, thematic discussions, Government-to-Government (G2G) meetings, Business-to-Business (B2B) networks, the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), product launches, thematic and interactive pavilions and various other activities.

Inspired by the 5F Vision of the  Prime Minister, the event scheduled from February 26-29 has a unified Farm to Fashion focus, covering the entire value chain.

Key Features of the Event:

The key features of the session include the following:

• 20,00,000 Sq. Ft Area for exhibition and trade fair showcasing apparel, home furnishings, floor coverings, fibres, yarns, threads, fabrics, carpets, silk, textiles based handicrafts, technical textiles and many more.
• Retail High Street focusing on India’s fashion retail market opportunities
• Dedicated pavilions on sustainability and recycling with focus on showcasing Tiruppur sustainable cluster and Panipat recycling cluster
• Fashion show showcasing Indian Textiles Heritage
• Grand launch of various Government Initiatives such as Kasturi Cotton, Vision Nxt and India Size
• Indi-Haat showcasing India’s traditional sector of Handicrafts and Handlooms
• Interactive fabric testing zones and product demonstrations
• Art jugalbandi focusing on sustainability
• Masterclasses by crafts persons with over 3 generations of tradition and history
• MoUs signing between various stakeholders for investment, technology transfer, research and academic collaborations

Knowledge sessions

Bharat Tex 2024 has been designed to attract top level policy makers, business CEOs, investors, textile thought leaders, industry captains, sustainability champions, multilateral organisations, global institutes, and other stakeholder to deliberate on issues and challenges faced by the global textiles industry and India’s strengths that can be leveraged to address these issues.

Below are the key knowledge sessions, that would ideate on the future of Global textiles value chain:

• 3 Dedicated CXO Roundtables (International, Domestic and Technical Textiles).
• Over 40 per cent of all sessions focusing on three pillars: sustainability, resilient value chains and Indian prowess in global textiles industry. 
• 14 marque sessions on ESG, sustainability, circularity and recycling and green financing
• 3 Country Sessions and 5 State Sessions on opportunities, investment and trade
• 3 dedicated sessions on the future of Indian Textiles: Large scale investment (PLI), Infrastructure (PM MITRA) and Ease of Doing Business
• 9 dedicated sessions on Synthetic Fibres and Technical Textiles – Growth Drivers of Indian Textiles Industry  
• Global Mega Trends shaping the future of Textiles industry
• Factory of the Future with emphasis on AI and Block Chain based smart manufacturing
• Resilient Global Value Chains and how India role as a preferred sourcing destination
• Indian Textiles Vision 2047 – Global leader in Textiles
• Retailing in one of the fastest growing consumer market in the world
• Local for Global – Weaving the ultra-luxury brands from India
• Leveraging Digitisation for Indian Textiles industry
• Start-ups and Entrepreneurship – Young India fueling the Future of Textiles
• Skilling & Enhancing Productivity – Future proof workforce
• Decolonising Indian Crafts – Building a strong ‘Brand India’ for traditional sector (Handicrafts and Handlooms)
• Many other sessions covering other topics such as India Size, Standards, QCOs, Handmade Carpets, etc.,

Showcasing Indian textiles heritage

Indian culture is woven with textiles heritage of this country dating back several centuries. The country is renowned for its diverse range of textiles right from silk, muslin and white gold (cotton) during the medieval era to the intricate designs, dyeing techniques, embroideries and world-famous weaves showcasing the country royal textiles traditions. Bharat Tex 2024 will highlight the richness of Indian textiles and strengthen its image as a custodian of tradition, innovation, and sustainability. It will also celebrate India’s reliability as a competitive, sustainable textile manufacturing hub across the entire value chain, from raw materials to end products.

The Theme Pavilion at the event would be based on ‘Vastra Katha’ with below sub-themes weaving India’s past heritage with India’s global position in Textiles industry and the future of Global Textiles, spearheaded by India.

• Virasat – Showcasing India’s textiles history, heritage and the prominence of the country during Medieval Era
• Vikas – Showcasing the modern textiles powerhouse with capability, scale and manufacturing excellence
• Vishwas – Global eyes on new India and how the country can power Global textiles industry towards a sustainable future.

Bharat Tex: A benchmark for sustainable event

As the global textiles industry grapples with environmental challenges inherent with the linear model of ‘take-make-consume-dispose’, Bharat Tex is leading the way by taking proactive steps to promote eco-friendly practices and ethical standards.

Below are some initiatives taken during the event to embed the above stated values during the event.

• Launching Kasturi Cotton, a new standard in cotton, with transparent value chain and globally acceptable quality standards.
• Showcasing latest innovation in process, systems and production methods to move towards eco-friendly and globally acceptable sustainable practices.
• Exhibiting various solutions such as waterless dyeing, regenerative farming, organic and recycled raw materials aimed at reducing carbon footprint and minimising environmental impact.
• Promoting circular economy with resources being reused, recycled and repurposed. The event has ideation sessions on how to manage textiles waste and the exhibition would have various closed loop manufactured products.
• The exhibitors at the event follow standard norms of ethical sourcing and fair-trade practices with their commitment to fair wages, safe working conditions and promoting culture of responsible sourcing.
• The designer ensemble at the event would promote sustainable fibre based designs and zero-waste designs to ensure the country can move towards a sustainable value chain with ease of recycling end-use products. 

Global participation

The event has received an overwhelming response with leading global textile companies including Coach, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Vero Moda, Coats, Toray, H&M, Gap, Target, Levis, Kohl’s, Nike, K-Mart, IKEA, YKK, Fortum, Lenzing, Anko, CIEL Group, Busana Group, Hyosung Corporation, Brandix Apparels, Teijin Ltd, Coats Group, Poeticgem Ltd, Italiya Inc Japan, Warp-N-Weft Designs, and Cotton Council International, having confirmed their presence. In addition, Business Delegations from key textiles hubs including US, UK, Australia, Belgium, France, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Japan, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Singapore, Brazil, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Turkey, Philippines, South Korea, Bangladesh, Russia, Kenya, Mauritius, South Africa, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Nepal, Peru, Egypt, and Thailand.

Multilateral organisations and global think tanks

The event has garnered interest across various agencies including multilateral organisations, global textile think tanks and NGOs including UNEP, UNIDO, Laudes Foundation, GIZ, IDH, Cotton Connect, WGSN, Fashion for Good, Better Cotton Initiative, Responsible Sourcing Network, ITMF, International Apparel Federation, ITME, BGMEA, BKMEA, Cotton Egypt Association are partnering with Bharat Tex 2024 to facilitate discussions and deliberations on Global trends in Textiles and Apparel including sustainability, circularity, traceability, industry 4.0, innovation, green financing among others.

Holistic representation of industry stakeholders

This event is a perfect example of collaboration among all the value chain players represented by 11 Export Promotion Councils, covering the entire value chain from farm to end products. All top Indian textile companies across all elements of the value chain too are represented in Bharat Tex.

In addition to the EPCs, various Indian and global industry bodies and associations have overwhelmingly supported the event. Some of key bodies include CMAI, CITI, SIMA, SGCCI, TEA, GEMA, YESS, ITMF, ITME, ATMA, NIFT, among others.

Indian textiles industry in unison

The entire textiles industry covering all parts of value chain have enthusiastically participated in the event. Prominent entities including the Aditya Birla Group, Reliance Group, Arvind Fashion, Welspun Living, Indorama Ventures, Trident Group, PDS, Shahi, have signed up as sponsors of the event. In addition, SMEs have shown large scale participation across all the key clusters in the country.

State participation

Major Textiles States in the country including Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are enthusiastically participating with dedicated pavilions and government representations.

With India’s global competitive edge in Textiles due to its recent FTAs, policy initiatives such as PLI and PM MITRA and state support packages, India’s textile sector is optimistically looking forward. Over 50 MoUs and announcements to be signed during the event will provide further impetus to investment and trade in the sector. Bharat Tex will not just showcase Indian capabilities in the sector, it will also help build Brand India in textiles and be a significant step in achieving our 2023 vision of a $ 350 Billion Indian textiles ecosystem.