Textile sustainability pioneer Dr. Siva Pariti: ”I hope we'll produce materials rivalling virgin products in 5 years”
Dr. Siva Pariti, a leading expert with more than 25 years of experience in the textile industry, is sharing his view on the challenges in the industry and how we can tackle them. Currently serving as the Chief Impact Officer at BluWin, an Environmental Management consulting and auditing firm based in the UK, Dr. Siva is a pioneer in advancing sustainability in the industry and has joined Syre as an advisor on production site tours, most recently to a sorting and collection facility. Syre’s Sustainability and Public Affairs Director Stina Billinger sat down with Dr.Siva during Textile Exchange’s Annual Conference in Los Angeles.
Against the backdrop of the conference buzzing with the constant exchange of ideas, Stina and Dr. Siva engaged in their own conversation, discussing their joint visits to sorting facilities and shared reflections on transforming the textile industry.
Can you tell me about your 25 years in the textile industry, how have sustainability efforts developed during this time?
When I began my career in the 2000s,the focus was mostly on getting the color consistency in fabrics and fastness right. During the Greenpeace campaign, we were lucky enough to jump in and start our journey with chemical and environmental management, later to air emissions and then to energy. We were ahead of the industry, which only began seriously examining input and output processes and adopting sustainable textile production practices around 2020. Although certifications like the EU Flower certification existed earlier, they never really took off.
I wanted to touch upon this because, until now, the industry has been using virgin materials to produce textiles. As we are in the middle of a shift towards circular textiles, will our cars, clothes and homes only use textile-to-textile recycled polyester in the future?
We're just beginning with textile-to-textile recycling. While we are comfortable with post- and pre-production waste, the complexity of fabric composition, sorting, finishing, and inking in textile recycling is challenging. We're only addressing the tip of the iceberg when we look at feedstock sourcing and traceability. By focusing on responsibility, transparency, and engagement, we can manage inputs effectively, leading to consistent outputs. Once inputs are established, engineering will be easier. I am hopeful that in five years, we'll produce materials rivaling virgin products. The good news is we know what the problems and challenges are, and if we know the problems, we can prepare solutions more easily.
Traceability is really a hot topic that everyone is discussing, especially with the introduction of new legislation. As we go deeper in the value chain, the traceability seems to become more complex.How do you think we can solve this challenge?
Traceability in textile-to-textilerecycling is an even bigger challenge due to diverse waste sources through donations and campaigns. The challenge lies in identifying garment compositions and deciding on tracking strategies—whether individually or in bulk. We also need to create systems and processes in place that are adaptable for different types of sourcing and sorting. The key in addressing the traceability challenge is to engage and train the local communities for sourcing and sorting feedstock as well as building capacity and providing infrastructure to ensure their health and safety.
We recently visited a sorting site together, what are your reflections on that?
When we visited the sorting site, I did not personally expect that they would have come so far. Although I'm impressed with the starting point though there's a long way to go. It's encouraging that we have a foundation to build upon. If we engage the people in the sorting facility in the supply chain, train and tell them what we want, how we want it and why, we will probably have a better output within the next few years.
What is your view on Syre’s role in transforming the textile industry?
The circular model is complex, but it won't take 20 years to achieve. Syre is an important part of this transformation, bringing great talent and innovation to the table. With tough, resilient, and risk-taking people taking a leap to solve the challenges in the textile industry, progress will accelerate. Despite feedstock sourcing and traceability challenges, I'm confident that solutions will emerge, especially with young, brilliant minds joining the field.