Written by P Ram Ramprasa
In a world where environmental issues are becoming more pressing, reconsidering commonplace items presents a significant chance to promote sustainability. Using creative, eco-friendly designs may drastically cut down on resource usage, whether it’s the classic sari, a mainstay of Indian culture, or the common bath towel. This essay looks at doable ways to turn these need into long-term fixes that satisfy the rising demand for environmentally friendly living throughout the world.
Reimagining the Sari: Blending Sustainability and Tradition
Millions of women wear the sari, an iconic garment known for its beauty and adaptability throughout the Indian subcontinent. This unstitched cloth, which usually measures between 4.5 and 9 yards, is draped elegantly and gracefully to make a visual and cultural statement.
By 2025, it is anticipated that sari sales in India would total INR 525 billion, according to Statista.com. Entrepreneurs have a fantastic potential to create fashionable and eco-friendly sari designs thanks to this expanding industry.
Making saris with 10–30% plain cotton fabric and the remainder using traditional materials and patterns is one innovative approach. The usage of resource-intensive materials is decreased by the simple cotton portion that forms the unseen inner wrap. By keeping the body cool, this not only reduces production costs but also improves comfort in India’s hot environment.
The sari business might save INR 53–158 billion a year and attract eco-aware customers by using this design. The sari will continue to be a beloved garment for many generations to come because to the union of sustainability and tradition.
Advancing Textile Manufacturing Innovation
Eco-friendly production methods can increase the popularity of sustainable saris. For example, using liquid CO₂ in place of water in waterless dyeing processes, such as those created by DyeCoo Textile Systems in the USA, may drastically reduce the amount of water and chemicals used. Given that 2,500 litres of water are typically needed to produce one T-shirt, this idea is essential.
Making the switch to natural dyes also provides a sustainable alternative. Businesses like Colorifix, Huue, and Vienna Textile Labs are in the forefront of using microorganisms to make dyes, offering environmentally acceptable substitutes for those that rely on chemicals. Textile producers may lessen their environmental impact and satisfy the growing demand for sustainable fashion by incorporating such clean-tech developments.
Considering Bath Towels in a Sustainable Way
Sustainable design may also be advantageous for everyday products like bath towels. Making bath towels with a distinct colour on each side is a straightforward yet effective concept. Because the same towel is used for a little longer than a towel with a single colour on both sides, this design encourages customers to switch sides every two to four days, lowering the frequency of washing and saving water.
Given that towels are frequently changed every day in hotels, this invention is very pertinent. Hotels might drastically save water and energy during laundry by switching to dual-sided towels. The hotel industry’s sustainability may be significantly impacted by this minor adjustment.
Increasing Saris’s Lifecycle
Because of their adaptability, saris are perfect for reusing and refurbishing. For instance, cotton saris are frequently made into hammock cots for babies in rural India. These cribs, which mimic the comfort of a mother’s womb, offer a sustainable alternative to wooden cribs with a higher carbon footprint.
Beyond this, used saris can be repurposed as mops, mattress fillers, or decorative accents for winter hats in export markets. Textile manufacturers could also collaborate with material scientists to shred old saris and other fabrics, transforming them into materials for building roads that recharge groundwater or constructing eco-friendly infrastructure.
Similar efforts are already having an effect on a global scale. In the United States, for example, worn clothing is turned into blankets for UN disaster assistance, and old denim is recycled into currency notes. These illustrations highlight how consumption-driven behaviours may give way to conservation-driven solutions.
Leveraging India’s Innovative Spirit
India’s rich tradition of jugaad—resourceful problem-solving—provides a strong foundation for reimagining products with sustainability in mind. Everyday essentials, from saris to bath towels, can be redesigned to reduce resource consumption without compromising on functionality or aesthetic appeal.
Women entrepreneurs in particular have the potential to be crucial to this change. They may establish sustainable consumption habits in India as well as in other markets like the US, Europe, and Australia by fusing cultural insights with clean-tech advances.
Constructing a Sustainable Future
In addition to being a business opportunity, the move to sustainable products is also a vital step in solving the world’s environmental problems. Every product, from bath towels to saris, presents an opportunity to reconsider design, save waste, and preserve resources.
India is in a unique position to spearhead this transition to circularity because of its inventive energy and rich cultural legacy. We can produce goods that respect heritage and protect the environment by embracing sustainability. Customers, companies, and the environment all gain from this partnership between conservation and business, which opens the door to a more sustainable future.
Bio of the Author
An enthusiastic supporter of sustainability is Ram Ramprasad. For magazines like Earth.org, Sustainability Next, Terra Green, India Water Portal, and Textile Value Chain, he has authored several articles on sustainable practices. Ram has also held the position of Global Marketing Director for a major American multinational corporation. He graduated from Yale University in the United States and Madras University in India.