Recyclr Driving Zero-Waste Apparel
Aadi Sustainability Solutions is a forward-thinking company leading the charge in sustainable practices within the textile and apparel industry. With over two decades of experience in textile waste management and more than 13 years in denim garment manufacturing, Aadi has cultivated deep expertise across the value chain.
Recognizing the environmental challenges posed by textile waste, the company launched Recyclr, its dedicated circularity initiative. Initially, Aadi operated its waste recycling and garment manufacturing businesses separately. However, the growing global demand for sustainable fashion prompted a strategic shift—bringing together both verticals to create a closed-loop production model.
Through Recyclr, the company began integrating post-industrial denim waste from its own operations into the supply chain by converting it into recycled fibre. This fibre is then reintegrated into yarns and fabrics through collaborations with denim mills. Over the past few years, this model has evolved into a fully circular system, capable of handling both pre-consumer and post-consumer textile waste.
Today, Recyclr is among a select group of companies globally—and possibly the only one in India—able to claim zero-waste garment production. The company’s unique strength lies in its ability to manage waste at the source, recycle it effectively, and reintegrate it into high-quality finished garments.
Parvinder Singh, Director of Aadi Sustainability Solutions and Founder of the Global Alliance for Textile Sustainability (GATS)
From its origins in textile waste management to its current position as a circular economy leader, Recyclr continues to redefine what’s possible in sustainable apparel manufacturing—delivering solutions that are not only environmentally responsible but also commercially scalable. Parvinder Singh, Director of Aadi Sustainability Solutions and Founder of the Global Alliance for Textile Sustainability (GATS), shares an overview of how his Recyclr initiative is transforming the textile recycling industry.
Manufacturing and operations
The company’s waste collection and management facilities are in Bangladesh, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Tiruppur
Recyclr is headquartered in Panipat, where its garment manufacturing operations are also located. In addition to its Panipat base, the company has established waste collection and management facilities in several key textile hubs, including Bangladesh, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Tiruppur. These locations support activities such as waste collection, sorting, and processing, enabling the company to manage textile waste efficiently across multiple regions.
“We work with several major brands, including both large Indian and global names. We have agreements with approximately 14 to 15 brands for managing our post-industrial waste, and is also running post-consumer or consumer take-back programs for two to three of those brands,” informs Singh.
Catering to sustainable practices
Recyclr and the Global Alliance for Textile Sustainability (GATS) form an integral part of the broader mission to advance circular production, sustainable manufacturing, and low-cost recycling through replicable models. At GATS, the company challenge the perception that sustainability is a cost burden by proving that cost efficiency and quality can coexist. Recyclr’s approach focuses on developing MSME-driven models that can be scaled and replicated across India.
Recyclr’s dedicated denim initiative embodies this philosophy. The company partners with brands to ensure that any denim provided to them is transformed into zero-waste, fully circular denim—without adding any additional cost burden. This commitment reflects the core efforts: making sustainability accessible, scalable, and economically viable for the textile industry.
“We don’t convert yarns. We are up to fibres because in denim, what we want—what our philosophy is—is that we don’t want to create friction between us and the brands. Firstly, we want to impact minimal changes in their supply chains, because lots of brands are not prone to supply chain changes. So, our priority is that we will supply recycled fibres to any of your nominated mills, and we will convert any of your existing fabric into a recycled version of that. And then, if you want to make garments from us, that is fine. If you don’t want to, if you have other facilities, we can do it there also,” says Singh.
Focus on domestic brands
When asked about the global expansion plan. Singh shared that first we will focus on Indian brands for the fact that our industry, our manufacturers, our brands, are not ambitious enough. What we have tried to follow is: make a cheaper product, make inferior products, integrate synthetic materials into everything, and then you can scale up. “I don’t see this as a feasible or wise option, because there is a limit in terms of technique and product quality. So one day, I see from the vision of fit, fashion, and fabric—these are the three essentials for any fashion brand. What we are trying to do is sensitize Indian brands and Indian manufacturers. And our primary focus is that India is a global manufacturing hub, whether we are producing for India or whether we are producing for global brands” explains Singh.
Challenges
The primary challenge for Recyclr lies in the proof-of-concept stage. When brands approach them, they often aim to start with a capsule or small collection to test the concept. While apparel can be produced in limited quantities, yarns and fabrics cannot be manufactured in such small runs. This technical constraint makes it challenging to create small batches of new products for initial trials.
On this, Singh has come up with a solution. He says, “We are trying to create a common development facility where all the companies and brands can create their small collections—whether it is yarn, fibre, or fabric—anything that can be produced in small quantities to prove the concept. Secondly, certifications: we don’t have testing and quality certifications for recycled products. Right now, the whole industry is working on virgin standards, and we are comparing recycled products with virgin products. So these are two technical challenges we are facing. On the business side, and on the requirement side, there is a lack of awareness and lack of knowledge among fashion brands, because they have been told that recycling is not quality—meaning recycled product quality is not comparable to virgin products—and that it is a premium-paying thing. So all of this, we are trying to change with our GATS initiatives and Recyclr initiatives.”
Additionally, Recyclr has developed a complete range of denim garments with a proven sustainability impact — all accessible through a simple barcode. By scanning the barcode, consumers can instantly view the entire journey of the garment on their mobile phones. This includes a clear comparison of the environmental impact between a virgin product and a recycled product — without any cost premium to the customer. Through this initiative, and with the integration of the Digital Product Passport (DPP), the company has incorporated all relevant quality parameters and testing benchmarks. This allows virgin and recycled products to be compared on the same standards, addressing every possible question a consumer may have — all through a single scan.
Long term plan
Recyclr’s overarching global vision is to transform the denim industry into one that is truly sustainable and circular. Denim, traditionally, was a single-product category made entirely from 100 per cent cotton and dyed using natural indigo. However, with the rise of fast fashion, synthetic fibres, texturised yarns, and filament yarns have been integrated into denim production to meet the demand for low-cost garments,” says Singh.
The company aims to reverse this shift by replacing all synthetic components in denim with recycled cotton inputs, bringing the product back to its natural and sustainable roots.
To amplify the company’s voice within the industry, Singh concludes, Right now, we are calling for brands to collaborate in the form of pilots. If any brand wants to create a sustainable or circular denim collection, we are speaking with many brands at our new facility. We will create denim capsule collections for them, free of cost, to establish a proof of concept and show how they can integrate circularity, sustainability, and recycling into their product portfolio. We are not charging anything—just requiring proof of intent that they are committed to converting their portfolio into a sustainable and circular one.”
Rcyclr is committed to establish as the most recognised and respected name in circular denim manufacturing—both in India and globally—offering low-impact, environmentally conscious garments that set the benchmark for sustainability in the denim industry.
