New Delhi: If you’ve ever wondered about the exact materials used in your clothes and home linens, you may soon be able to find out. India is working on a new labelling rule for apparel and home textiles sold in the country that will make it mandatory for manufacturers to share details such as the fibre used, origin and care instructions.
Officials say the move will help India match global practices, support better recycling and ensure shoppers aren’t misled about fibre compositions or origin claims.
“Preliminary talks are going on, and we’ve done some stakeholder consultations,” said an official. “Things are yet to be finalised.”
Disclosure and display of country of origin, fibre composition, wash and care instruction are mandatory in developed countries.
India produced about $175.7 billion worth of textile and apparel in 2024. Textile and apparel exports during April-October of FY25 stood at $20.4 billion.
“The move is in consumer interest as it will help demarcate cheap imported products from the ones locally produced in the light of India signing many trade agreements,” said a representative of the cotton textile industry who participated in a recent stakeholder meeting.
Experts said it is also essential to know the fibre content to ensure that the cloth is compatible with textile recycling processes or whether it has to be discarded entirely. It will also help retail chains to manage their supplies.
“The proposed regulation on mandatory labelling of readymade garments and made-ups articles sold in India aims to enhance consumer awareness and protect consumer interests from absence of information about fibre composition, display and disclosure of country of origin, wash and care instructions to safeguard against the inaccurate or misleading product claims,” said another industry representative.
The textile ministry is working on an action plan to boost the textile waste value chain as part of which it aims to make mandatory a certain amount of textile products in government procurement to be made of recycled materials, and Indian standards and certification on recycling. It also plans to assess pre-and post-consumer waste generation and source identification of waste.>
