GeM-Textiles Committee Waste-to-Value-to-Market Partnership: Circular Textiles through Green Public Procurement Environment, Textiles, MSMEs and Government Procurement GS Paper III / General Awareness 5 September 2026 Read highlighted facts first FAST READ - read only this box if short on time
- Government e-Marketplace ( GeM ) and the Textiles Committee signed an MoU to promote recycled and upcycled textile products.
- The partnership seeks a 'Waste-to-Value-to-Market' ecosystem using government procurement as demand support.
- The Textiles Committee will help identify/certify producers; GeM will facilitate categories, onboarding and market linkages.
- The model can support women, MSMEs, artisans, recyclers and local enterprises.
- Core concepts: circular economy, textile waste, standards, extended value chains and green public procurement.
WHY IN NEWS
- The MoU was signed during the Textiles Committee's Foundation Day celebrations in Mumbai.
- Textile waste is a growing environmental problem, while public procurement can create predictable demand for products made from recovered materials.
TOP DATA & FACTS
- GeM is the digital public-procurement marketplace used by government buyers.
- The Textiles Committee is a statutory body under the Textiles Committee Act, 1963.
- The partnership targets recycled and upcycled textile products made from waste, scrap and second-hand clothing.
- A hub-and-spoke model is proposed for outreach and capacity building.
- Certification is important because recycled-content claims require credibility.
- Upcycling generally creates a product of higher or renewed utility without necessarily breaking material completely into raw fibre.
- Recycling processes waste into material that can re-enter production.
- Textile waste includes pre-consumer cutting waste and post-consumer discarded garments.
- Blended fabrics are harder to recycle because fibres must be separated or processed together.
- Government demand can help small producers reach scale.
- Implementation should be monitored through a small set of public indicators: coverage, quality, cost, timeliness and final outcomes. This prevents a scheme from being judged only by expenditure or announcements.