4 Indian Startups Turn Textile Waste Into New Products

Every year, millions of tonnes of clothes and fabric scraps pile up across India, destined for landfills. But four homegrown startups are turning that mountain of waste into opportunity, one T-shirt and factory scrap at a time.

NoKasa makes recycling your old wardrobe as easy as ordering food. Founded in Bengaluru by engineers Prasad Lingawar and Nachiket Acharya, the company picks up old clothes right from your doorstep, then sorts them into what can be worn again and what needs recycling.

Wearable items get redirected to people who need them. Damaged textiles become raw materials for new products, keeping tonnes of fabric out of landfills.

In New Delhi, MuddleArt tackles the problem before clothes even reach consumers. Ruby Khan and Sanjay Kumar Chauhan launched the startup in 2019 to rescue fabric scraps from apparel factories, the kind of waste most people never see.

Their team collects leftover fabric, sorts it by material and color, and tracks every scrap through a digital platform. Working with over 250 recycling and upcycling partners, MuddleArt has diverted more than 7,000 tonnes of textile waste while creating 200 green jobs.

Tooused, launched in 2023 by Mayank Singh and Ayush Saxena, sweetens the deal for anyone ready to clean out their closet. The startup serves over 18,000 pin codes across India, accepting everything from old clothes and shoes to electronics.

Send in your unwanted items and you earn credits you can cash out, donate to charity, or redeem for brand vouchers. Wearable clothes go to NGOs, while the rest becomes recycled fibers for new fabrics.

Then there's Canvaloop, taking a completely different approach in Surat. Founder Shreyans Kokra saw opportunity in what farmers throw away after harvest: banana stems, pineapple leaves, hemp, and other crop residue.

His company transforms this agricultural waste into textile-grade fibers through a low-water, closed-loop process. The natural fibers are biodegradable and reduce the fashion industry's dependence on resource-hungry cotton.

The Ripple Effect

These startups are doing more than just diverting waste. They're creating jobs in recycling and upcycling, helping farmers earn extra income from crop waste, and building systems that make sustainable choices convenient for everyday Indians.

Together, they're proving that the solution to textile waste isn't just about recycling, it's about reimagining the entire lifecycle of what we wear.