SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure | SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production | SDG 13: Climate Action
Ministry of Textiles |Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare | Central Silk Board | Central Cotton Research Institute
APEC report, Agro-Industrial Waste as a Resource for Sustainable Textile Dyeing: A Circular Economy Perspective identifies agro-industrial waste as a critical resource for transitioning the global textile industry toward a circular economy by resolving the Technical Fidelity gap in natural colorants. By valorizing agricultural by-products such as onion skins, avocado seeds, and pomegranate peels, the textile sector can replace toxic synthetic dyes with biodegradable, non-toxic alternatives.
The study emphasizes that while the global textile industry is valued at USD 2.5 trillion, it faces severe sustainability challenges, including a 10-15% loss of synthetic dyes into wastewater. The report highlights that Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are uniquely positioned to adopt these cleaner production technologies, utilizing methods ranging from traditional boiling to advanced Microwave-Assisted Extraction (MAE). By establishing traceable, sustainable value chains, APEC economies can enhance agricultural resilience and empower local producers while meeting growing consumer demand for eco-friendly fashion.
Four Pillars of the Agro-Waste Dyeing Framework
Waste Valorization: Transforming unutilized residues into new revenue streams for farmers and high-value inputs for textile producers.
Technological Accessibility: Promoting extraction techniques like maceration and decoction that are low-cost and replicable in artisanal workshops and SMEs.
Circular Linkages: Integrating the textile value chain with local agriculture to reduce landfill contributions and minimize transportation-related carbon emissions.
Industrial Validation: Scaling from lab to market through the EarthColors® model, ensuring shade consistency, repeatability, and alignment with global organic certifications.
What is “Technical Fidelity” in Natural Dyes? Technical Fidelity refers to the ability of natural dyes to consistently meet industrial benchmarks for color fastness, shade reproducibility, and durability. The report identifies this as a critical barrier to adoption, as approximately 90% of natural dye sources currently struggle with light and washing fastness compared to synthetic benchmarks. Achieving high technical fidelity requires moving beyond artisanal methods toward “semi-industrial” applications that utilize standardized protocols, enzymatic treatments, and natural mordants. This ensures that residue-based colorants can be repeatedly produced under industrial constraints—such as line speed and substrate variability—allowing them to match the performance and reliability required by global fashion brands.
Policy Relevance
For India, this report represents a transition from “Artisanal Traditions” to “Sovereign Sustainable Manufacturing,” leveraging its status as a leading producer of natural dye research.
Standardizing “Clean-Label” Textiles: As a global leader in GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certification, India can use these findings to set a standard in residue-to-dye traceability.
Bypassing Synthetic Pollution: Utilizing India’s massive volume of marigold, pomegranate, and onion waste allows the SME-heavy textile sector to bypass the wastewater treatment burdens associated with synthetic dyes.
Operationalizing MSME Innovation: The report’s focus on SME-friendly technologies (TRL 4-5) supports India’s push to modernize its decentralized textile clusters through accessible, science-validated methods.
Federal Rural Empowerment: Linking farmers directly to dyeing units provides social empowerment, creating non-migratory income in rural regions.
Implementation Fidelity via Research Leadership: With the highest number of publications (13) in this field, India is best positioned to lead the APEC-wide transition from laboratory proofs-of-concept to industrial demonstration.
Follow the full report here: APEC: Agro-Industrial Waste as a Resource for Sustainable Textile Dyeing 2026