Fashion for good and Arvind limited partner to create more sustainable textile factories in India

Fashion for Good, the global innovation platform with a hub in Amsterdam, launched a project for more sustainable textile production in India, in partnership with Arvind Limited, one of India’s largest textile manufacturers. The joint initiative, called Future Forward Factories, focused on making textile factories more sustainable. The project consisted of two main components: the development of a blueprint for sustainable textile production and, secondly, the construction of a physical factory in India in which these innovative processes would be applied. The factory could emit up to 93 percent fewer greenhouse gases than conventional production processes, according to the press release.

India is a key country for the production and export of textiles and clothing. It is among the largest players in the global textile industry and has an extensive infrastructure for the production of yarns, fabrics and garments. With millions of people working in the sector, India forms an essential hub within the global fashion chain – particularly in the Tier two factories, where dyeing, washing and other processing operations take place. It is precisely these factories that account for a large proportion of the industry’s environmental impact.

“With Future Forward Factories, we took decisive action to catalyse transformation through both knowledge sharing and practical implementation,” said Katrin Ley, managing director of Fashion for Good. “By developing a blueprint and, together with Arvind, building a factory that addresses Tier two challenges – where a large proportion of CO₂ emissions, water and chemical use takes place – we demonstrated that large-scale change is possible.”

Arvind Limited is one of India’s largest textile manufacturers, with 42,000 employees. The company is known as a pioneer in more sustainable production processes. For example, Arvind worked on improved water management through waterless applications and technological applications that reduce chemicals during the clothing production process. Punit Lalbhai, Executive Vice Chairman of Arvind Limited, shared in the press release: “As a leader in the textile sector, Arvind is committed to developing sustainable production practices. With both a blueprint and an innovative facility, we wanted to show that these technologies are applicable at scale.”

The initiative officially launched during the Global Fashion Summit 2025 in Copenhagen. Future Forward Factories also called on other suppliers to participate. The blueprint is open-source. This means that it can be further adapted in collaboration. The open-source blueprint was made public in September 2025.