When it comes to sustainable fashion, we love the cut of India’s cloth. Why? Because India’s clothing industry is changing, and fast. It’s currently a boom destination for global brands interested in sustainability, with many factories increasingly offering more transparency, traceability and sustainable practices.

Not only that, India now offers a wider range of higher quality sustainable materials and apparel, more flexible lead times and smaller minimums on offer – plus the backing of certification.

For sustainable suppliers and producers, this changes everything. It means what once wasn’t possible, now is possible: in most cases, we can source the qualities our clients are looking for using sustainable fibres.

Here are six good reasons why we at Ethical Edit love to source sustainable garments from India:

1. More certified facilities

At the last count, India had around 450 Organic Cotton Standard (OCS) certified producers – and over 1200 Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified facilities, the largest number in any single country (China only has 220). India also has 217 Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certified facilities. Not only that, 40% of the world’s Fair-trade cotton certified producers or traders are in India.

This means that fashion brands can source with more confidence and that Indian suppliers have the credentials to meet the fashion world’s growing sustainability demands. At Ethical Edit, all of the knitted and woven organic garments we source and produce, (including denim, cut and sew and flat knit garments), are fully Fair-trade audited and GOTS certified.

2. No shortage of materials

When it comes to sustainable fibres, India appears to be leaving other countries far behind. It’s the world’s the largest producer of organic cotton with 51% organic cotton being grown in India according to one recent report1.

With many well-known factories producing man-made fibres, such as recycled synthetics and sustainable viscose, India's textile industry also has access to an ample supply of these materials.

What’s more, the industry is becoming increasingly transparent, with closer relationships between the fibre producers, processors and manufacturers – all of which ticks a lot of boxes for us here at Ethical Edit.

3. Shorter lead times, more flexibility

Indian garment manufacturers typically set their production line plans just a day or two before cutting is due to commence. This allows for greater flexibility and means last-minute changes can be accommodated more easily.

It also keeps costs down, without the overtime rates that can be the result of last minute changes in other countries. At Ethical Edit, we’re big on ensuring that lead times and changes don’t impact on workers, so this is right up our alley.

4. Smaller minimums

Compared with China and Bangladesh, Indian garment manufacturers are more amenable to orders in the hundreds rather than the thousands. That suits many of our more boutique clients, allowing them to design and create smaller runs of garments for New Zealand and Australia’s comparatively small markets.

5. A long history of recycling

Unsurprisingly for a country in which, until very recently, hundreds of millions lived below the poverty line, recycling has always been part of the way of life in India, with everything used and reused many times over – including textiles.

More facilities are springing up in towns and cities to recycle waste textiles into yarn, and other factories convert the waste from organic fabric and garment production and turn it into card and paper, which is being used by many increasingly sustainable global brands for their labels and packaging.

6. Access to skilled artisans

Once of the most special and unique benefits of sourcing from India is, of course, its traditional handcrafted and artisan production. Whether sourcing an entire collection or just part of a collection such as handbags or unique hand-woven fabrics, Ethical Edit has working relationships with many of these skilled artisans and factories.

What’s more, the rapid improvement in traceability and transparency means we can ensure that the garments we source have a positive social impact on these workers, so that they’re earning the living wages they deserve for their craftsmanship and skill.