EU & India Join Forces to Boost Sustainability in Textile & Handicraft Sector

The European Union (EU) and India’s Ministry of Textiles have joined forces to strengthen India’s textile and handicraft sector with seven new projects, unveiled during Bharat Tex. Backed by a €9.5 million (~₹85.5 crore or ~$9.97 million) grant from the EU, these initiatives aim to drive sustainability, resource efficiency, and inclusive growth across the textile value chain.

Spanning nine states—Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Haryana—the projects will directly benefit 35,000 individuals, including 15,000 MSMEs, 5,000 artisans, and 15,000 farmer-producers over the next three to five years.

The initiatives will focus on promoting natural dyes, bamboo crafts, handlooms, shawls, and traditional textiles, enhancing production, branding, and market access. They will be executed by leading organizations such as Humana People to People India, Deutsche Welthungerhilfe EV, Stiftelsen Världsnaturfonden WWF, and others.

Aligned with India’s ‘Sustainable Bharat Mission for Textiles’ and the EU’s Global Gateway Strategy, the projects build on ongoing EU-India collaborations in sustainability and the circular economy. The newly launched Textiles Toolkit, developed with GIZ, further supports resource efficiency in the sector.

Highlighting the initiative’s significance, Franck Viault, Minister Counsellor and Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation to India, emphasized that while fast fashion dominates global trends, both the EU and India are working towards a more sustainable textile industry. With India’s rich textile heritage recognized globally, particularly in Europe, merging tradition with innovation will pave the way for a sustainable future.