Smriti Irani launches Project SU.RE at Lakmé Fashion Week, aims at making style more sustainable

Sixteen of India’s leading fashion and retail brands commit to Project SU.RE that contributes to a clean environment.

The Union Minister for Textiles, Smriti Zubin Irani, launched Project SU.RE, India’s biggest commitment towards sustainable fashion. The project has been developed by the Ministry of Textiles, The Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI) and IMG Reliance, the leader in sustainable fashion in India.

The launch of project SU.RE at the Lakmé Fashion Week Sustainable Fashion Day this year was supported by United Nations in India, Lenzing EcoVero that stands for ecologically responsible production of viscose fibre made from the renewable wood, and R|Elan that produces GreenGold fibre made from 100 per cent used PET bottles with one of the lowest fibre carbon footprints globally.


SU.RE stands for ‘sustainable resolution’ — a five-point agenda for the industry to move towards fashion that contributes to a clean environment. The signatories to this are 16 of India’s top fashion and retail brands: Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail, Arvind Fashions, Bestseller, Biba, Future Group, House of Anita Dongre, 109F, Lifestyle, Levis, Max, Raymond, Shoppers Stop, Spykar, W, Trends, and Westside. The signatories have pledged to source and utilise a substantial portion of their total consumption using sustainable raw materials and processes, by the year 2025.

Project SU.RE will encourage sustainability goals for the industry to reduce its carbon emissions, increase resource efficiency, tackle waste and water management, and create positive social impact to achieve the goals set out in the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030. It will address the needs of an increasingly conscious consumer, who would prefer to buy from a brand that engages in environmental protection. Project SU.RE will also catalyse change across the sector in order to bring about innovation and transformation.

“As a proud Indian, I stand here today to witness history. We are celebrating the 150th birth anniversary year of Mahatma Gandhi, who asked us to be the change you wish to see in the world. The sustainability resolution being adopted today is reflective of that very thought of the Mahatma. Never before have 16 of the biggest brands in India come together to save the earth. The combined value of the 16 signatories to the resolution is around Rs 30,000 crore. The step taken today makes for not only responsible business but also smart business.”
— Smriti Zubin Irani, Minister for Textiles, Women & Child Development, Government of India

“In the past, several products and processes of our industry were not environment-friendly. It is a tremendously responsible and timely step taken by the apparel industry of India, especially the signatories, to commit to moving towards sustainable fashion. It is a matter of pride for us at the CMAI to be associated with and be one of the drivers of this most crucial resolution.”
— Rahul Mehta, President, The Clothing Manufacturers Association of India

“This is a culmination of our stated goal towards making sustainability a mainstream dialogue. This initiative will be the start of a movement that can have strategic impact over the next five years as major retailers move towards embracing sustainability at their core.”
— Jaspreet Chandok, Head, IMG Reliance Fashion

“The future of design is foremost about design with a future. Without sustainable supply chains, the fashion industry will become less and less viable. Project SU.RE opens a new dialogue to accelerate concrete actions for sustainability and climate action, and reduce environmental costs, through the entire value chain of clothes manufacturing.”
— Renata Lok-Dessallien, Resident Coordinator, United Nations in India

“Being an industry leader in petrochemicals and a responsible corporate citizen, RIL has embraced circularity and sustainability in our core values and operations. We strongly support project SU.RE, as it will help in reducing the environmental impact of the fashion industry. Furthermore, RIL has initiated various programmes such as ‘Fashion for Earth’, under which the Circular Design Challenge, India’s first sustainability award in fashion, has been developed.”
— Gunjan Sharma, CMO - Polyester Business, Reliance Industries Ltd

“Sustainable fashion is moving beyond just a buzzword to an integral part of the global industry. SU.RE initiative is a crucial step in this direction for India. Lenzing has been at the forefront of sustainable and innovative textile solutions. Our innovations like Lenzing EcoVero bear the potential to provide the right raw material to the brands in order to strengthen their sustainable resolution.”
—Avinash Mane, Commercial Head - South Asia, Lenzing Group

The five-point ‘sustainable resolution’ signed by the brands
1. Develop a complete understanding of the environmental impact of the garments being currently produced by our brand.
2. Develop a sustainable sourcing policy for consistently prioritising and utilising certified raw materials that have a positive impact on the environment.
3. Make the right decisions about how, where, and what we source across the value chain by selecting sustainable and renewable materials and processes and ensuring their traceability.
4. Communicate our sustainability initiatives effectively to consumers and media through our online and physical stores, product tags/ labelling, social media, advertising campaigns and events.
5. Through these actions, shift a significant percentage of our supply chain to a sustainable chain by the year 2025, addressing critical global issues such as climate change, contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and building a world that is safe for the future generations, as an acceptance of a responsibility we all share.