Saamuhika Shakti Initiative: Bengaluru Waste Pickers Drive Textile Recycling

Empowering Bengaluru Waste Pickers: Saamuhika Shakti Drives Textile Recycling Initiative

The H&M Foundation is taking a significant step towards promoting inclusive circularity in the textile industry through its Saamuhika Shakti initiative. The program welcomes two new partners, Stichting Enviu Nederland (Enviu) and Intellecap's Circular Apparel Innovation Factory (CAIF), to develop Circular Textiles Waste Models, with waste pickers playing a leading role.

Tackling Textile Waste Generation in India

India is responsible for 8.5% of global textile waste generation. Among the total textile waste circulation in the country, 51% comes from domestic post-consumer collection, 42% from pre-consumer sources, and 7% is imported post-consumer waste. While innovations in textile waste management are emerging, waste pickers have been left out of the economic value chain.

Promoting Inclusive Circularity and Improving Livelihoods

Maria Bystedt, Strategy Lead at H&M Foundation, expresses the initiative's goal of generating additional income streams for waste pickers through textile waste. By integrating waste pickers into the Saamuhika Shakti program, the initiative aims to promote inclusive circularity and improve their livelihood opportunities.

Two Work Streams for Waste Pickers

The partnership with Enviu and CAIF will include waste workers already involved in the Saamuhika Shakti program, incorporating them into two distinct work streams.

Micro-Entrepreneurship with CAIF:

1. CAIF will lead the waste-entrepreneurship model and utilize Bengaluru's existing Dry Waste Collection Centres (DWCCs) as hyperlocal centers for aggregating and segregating post-consumer textile waste. By collaborating with 6-7 waste entrepreneurs managing the DWCCs, CAIF will establish textile waste sorting capacity at these centers. They will also provide training to waste sorters and waste pickers, enabling them to handle this specific type of waste. The intervention's primary focus is on facilitating textile waste collection, sorting, and selling to generate revenue for waste pickers.

Circular B2Blinen Enterprise with Enviu:

2. Enviu aims to create a circular business-to-business textile service model, starting with the hotel industry. Waste hotel linen will be recycled and reintegrated into the production of new towels, involving waste pickers throughout the process. By December 2023, Enviu plans to collect and divert close to 30-35 tons of cotton waste, which will be sorted by waste workers to prevent it from ending up in landfills. Additionally, Enviu aims to offer waste workers alternative livelihood opportunities in hotel laundry, logistics, and warehousing services.

Saamuhika Shakti's Contribution to Textile Recycling in India

The new textile recycling setup within H&M Foundation's Saamuhika Shakti initiative adds a social perspective to a larger multi-year textile-recycling program in India. It ensures that waste pickers' voices are heard and included in the equation. The broader program is also seed

ThinkWithNiche News' conclusion

"Inspiring Story: Bengaluru Waste Pickers Driving Sustainable Change in Textile Recycling"

The story of Bengaluru waste pickers taking the driver's seat in a textile recycling initiative is truly inspiring. Through H&M Foundation's Saamuhika Shakti program, waste pickers are playing a crucial role in promoting inclusive circularity in the textile industry. With the addition of partners Enviu and CAIF, innovative waste models are being developed, empowering waste pickers and improving their livelihoods.

India's significant textile waste generation is being tackled head-on, with a focus on both domestic post-consumer collection and pre-consumer sources. While the economic value chain previously overlooked waste pickers, this initiative aims to change that by generating additional income streams through textile waste.

Two work streams are empowering waste pickers: CAIF's micro-entrepreneurship model and Enviu's circular B2Blinen enterprise. Waste pickers are being trained and involved in textile waste collection, sorting, and selling, providing them with new revenue opportunities. The circular model in the hotel industry, particularly recycling waste linen into new towels, showcases the potential for waste pickers' involvement in various sectors.

This inspiring story highlights the transformative impact of Saamuhika Shakti in Bengaluru. By giving waste pickers a leading role in textile recycling, the initiative contributes to a larger multi-year program in India, emphasizing inclusivity and the importance of waste pickers' voices. Through the collaborative efforts of H&M Foundation, Enviu, CAIF, and waste pickers themselves, a more sustainable and inclusive textile industry is being forged, setting an inspiring example for circularity and social change.