WELCOMING THE GREEN FABRIC

Gap Inc. partners with Arvind Limited, India, for the revolutionary cause of saving 2.5 billion litres of water each year. Janice Goveas speaks to Punit Lalbhai, executive director, Arvind Limited.

- Janice Goveas

Top global apparel retailer Gap Inc. recently announced a partnership with one of the global apparel manufacturing industry giants Arvind Limited, unveiling a new water-treatment facility to address the issue of waste water in the apparel manufacturing industry. It seeks to eliminate the use of freshwater at Arvind’s denimmanufacturing facility in Ahmedabad, marking a significant milestone in the ongoing efforts of both companies to reduce the amount of water used in their production processes. The new facility intends to save eight million litres of freshwater per day or 2.5 billion litres of freshwater on an annual basis, preserving the local community’s vital freshwater resources. This is probably the first of its kind in an industry that is grappling with resources and is one of the biggest consumers of water after the agriculture industry in India.

The textile industry is dependent on water in virtually all steps of manufacturing—ranging from dyeing to the use of speciality and finishing chemicals in water baths. In India alone, the textile industry uses 425,000,000 gallons of water daily and approximately 500 gallons of water is used in the production of just one pair of jeans. As water is becoming increasingly scarce due to climate change and growing human needs, the apparel industry is facing pressure to reduce its demand of freshwater.