India generates 9.3 million tonnes (Mt) of plastic waste annually, according to a 2024 study published in the journal Nature. That is equivalent to 7.75 lakh tonnes of plastic waste generated daily. To tackle this, our country has taken several steps to incentivise and promote awareness about recycling. Several individuals and organisations are taking this forward by giving discarded plastic a new life.
K Sankar, and his son, Senthil, for example, are recycling over 15 lakh bottles daily through their Tamil Nadu-based company, ‘Shree Renga Polymers’, while pioneering a creative approach to sustainable fashion through their clothing brand, ‘EcoLine’.
How do they do it?
To turn plastic waste into fashionable clothing, the father-son duo follow a process that can be broadly divided into five steps.
- Collection and sorting: PET bottles are collected through a network of 50,000 ragpickers across states, including Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Puducherry. The bottles are carefully sorted, and any caps, wrappers, or contaminants are removed.
- Crushing and flaking: Once cleaned, the PET bottles are crushed into small flakes, typically three to eight millimetres in size. This step reduces the material to a manageable form that can easily be processed into new products.
- Melting and spinning: The PET flakes are melted at 300°C using an extruder. The molten material is then stretched to form polyester fibre, which is cooled and transformed into yarn.
- Weaving the fabric: The yarn is then woven into fabric, forming the foundation for the clothing line. This fabric is then tailored into products such as jackets, T-shirts, and blazers.
- Waterless dyeing: One of the key innovations at EcoLine is the use of dope dye technology. Instead of dyeing the fabric after it’s made — a traditional process that consumes vast amounts of water — EcoLine infuses the colour directly into the polyester fibre during its production. This unique process eliminates the need for water in dyeing, making it both sustainable and energy-efficient.
The final products are then designed, sewn, and ready for sale. It takes about eight PET bottles to make a T-shirt, 20 bottles for a jacket, and 30 for a blazer, Senthil explains. These clothes are not just sustainable — they are stylish and practical too, with prices ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 6,000.
EcoLine’s innovative work gained significant recognition in February 2023, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi wore one of their blue sadri jackets in Parliament. Made from 25 recycled PET bottles, the jacket also accompanied the Prime Minister on his visits to Japan and Australia.
With an annual revenue of Rs 12 crore and a steady customer base across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, EcoLine is proving that sustainable fashion can be both profitable and impactful.
Know more about EcoLine and the Senthils’ journey here.
Edited by Khushi Arora
