Sustainable packaging - a roadmap for Indian fashion and apparel industry

Environmental sustainability has become a key managerial issue for most industries and in particular fashion industry looking into its scandalous reputation for being one of the largest contributors to global pollution. A critical aspect when looking at sustainability in supply chains of fashion is, Packaging. A big part of the waste crisis is the result of packaging, which the fashion industry is using ever more in this age of cheap fashion and online retail across the world. This paper attempts to trace the initiatives taken by Indian apparel manufacturers and retailers in creating sustainable packaging and trace the Life cycle Management of the packaging wastes. The objective of the paper is to create a sustainability road map for the fashion industry in India in terms of packaging by assessing the various global initiatives being taken in closing the loop on recovering material value. The methodology adopted is mainly review of literature and unstructured personal interviews with retail professionals from the field of beauty, FMCG and fashion.