For years, sustainability tools in the apparel sector have traveled down a strict one-way street: from brands and consultancies down to manufacturers. What they are missing are the variables and nuances that factory managers on the ground experience and must tackle to first prove the financial return on those upgrades to even begin the conversation with brands, banks, and their own leadership. But that can be fixed with a simple tool that no one built until now.
Shahi Exports co-commissioned and led the development of Bang for Buck—a collaborative project facilitated by the Fashion Producer Collective, alongside fellow manufacturers Elevate Textiles and Epic Group, with support from GIZ FABRIC and technical expertise from Grant Thornton Bharat. Quietly radical in its approach, this free, open-access tool covers 22 decarbonization technology measures. These are practical, proven interventions selected by suppliers to work within real-life constraints across diverse factory setups. The tool enables sustainability managers to calculate the exact emissions impact relative to financial ROI, giving them precise data and the language to justify green investments to stakeholders.
What makes Bang for Buck truly unique is the intensely collaborative process behind it. Suppliers weren’t brought in to simply “review” at the eleventh hour but were made co-designers from the very first page. Every assumption was named and debated out loud.
We didn’t just stop at asking how much a technology could cut emissions, but went on to dig deeper. Does this data actually exist within a standard manufacturing company? Who will own it? Is the output robust enough for a plant manager to stand in front of a CFO and win the argument? Even the final paper was written jointly, making sure the manufacturer’s voice remained primary.
The process ultimately revealed:
While technical realities like grid factors and local infrastructure vary by region, the core pressures manufacturers face are identical worldwide.
Whether in South Asia or Southeast Asia, suppliers grapple with accessing upfront capital, verifying technology performance, and communicating ROI. Bang for Buck engages with these realities and changes the traditional supply chain dynamic, proving that repeatable, supplier-led collaboration is not only possible but indeed essential for genuine industry transformation.
The inside of an apparel factory feels completely different depending on where you stand. In the raw fabric warehouse, the heat can be heavy, stagnant, and dry. Walk fifty paces into the finishing section, and the equipment adds humidity, driving up the wet-bulb temperatures (the metric thatdictates how effectively the human body cancool itself).
The variance in felt temperatures, coupled with the structural malleability of factories, presents a unique challenge: guidelines are everywhere but not uniformly applicable.
At Shahi, we have spent time mapping out the operational reality of modern manufacturing. With more than 50 manufacturing facilities and over 100,000 employees, we are treating thermal comfort as an operational baseline.
Understanding Baselines
Intense, dry pre-monsoon heat has always been a seasonal reality in northwestern and central India. However, climate change has fundamentally altered the baseline, requiring action to adapt to this new normal and to identify interventions across a diverse range of climates.
In April 2026, global interest in heat stress reached an all-time high. While Google searches for “what is heat stress” grew by 50% over the last five years, technical queries for “heat stress training” jumped by 140%. As global weather patterns continue to shift, what people are asking is “How do we deal with it?” and as the jump in the query really indicates: “How do we do it at Scale?”
The decade spanning 2015–2025 was the hottest on record for India, with 2024 tracking as the warmest year since 1901 (+0.65°C above the 1991–2020 average). As nighttime temperatures rise, it can also become harder for industrial buildings to dissipate the heat accumulated during the day. This creates a compounding thermal trap before the next morning shift even begins. A recent study in the Delhi-NCR region indicated a 37% increase in worker absenteeism during peak summer heatwaves. At Shahi, we ground our climate strategy in this internal baseline: mean factory floor temperatures can reach 35°C (95°F) during peak summer months.
Heat stress in India is not necessarily episodic; rather, it is the new, everyday reality we are grappling with. Hence, extensive contingency or extreme planning is necessary but not sufficient. Shahi’s focus is on driving year-round thermal comfort through a combination of measures.
Building Blocks: What are we working with?
Mitigating heat stress at scale requires balancing significant capital with daily operational friction.
Shahi’s newer manufacturing units are intentionally designed using built-in heat-reduction measures from the ground up.
These include high ceilings, a limited number of floors to avoid vertical stacking, greenery planning, and more. Our extensive campaign to replace conventional lighting with energy-efficient LEDs achieved up to 50% power savings and reduced average indoor shop floor temperatures by 2.4°C, directly improving worker comfort and productivity.
Retrofits and upgrades in older buildings improve heat reduction and air circulation. This includes applying high-grade heat-reflective roof paint and installing automated insulated panel sheets to block radiant heat in existing brownfield structures. We are rapidly closing the gap toward our goal of 100% renewable electricity, with 68% of electricity currently coming from renewable sources.
“It is clear to us that while a minimum threshold is set by the central policy; however, we must recognize that no two facilities or regions are identical. This is where a centralized guideline must have a high-agency-driven, decentralized flexibility to determine the right set of measures at each facility.” — Jayraman Ramesh, Head of Governance
Worker Wellbeing: Beyond Contingencies
With a clear baseline, we integrated mitigation measures directly into our Occupational Health & Safety Management (OHSM) framework.
Hyper-Local Microclimate Analysis
Ambient outdoor forecasts do not accurately reflect the internal dynamics of an industrial facility. Thermal conditions vary significantly across factory sections, including Sewing, Finishing, Packing, Cutting, Washing, Boiler rooms, and Effluent Treatment Plants. Shahi’s maintenance and engineering teams conduct targeted internal floor tracking systematically throughout the day across all operational zones. As temperatures rise, factory managers ensure that cooling systems are operational and that air circulation patterns and hydration supplies are in place.
“A thermometer measures the temperature, but our workers tell us the actual impact. By integrating heat mitigation into our existing Occupational Health & Safety Management (OHSM) and worker-voice platforms, we ensure that safety protocols are driven by real-time human feedback, not just static legal compliance.” — Chithra Prasad, Head of Social Sustainability
Access to Care and Work Protections
Besides technical controls in place to manage ventilation, our on-site Health Centers and rapid-response first-aid teams step in. Shahi training protocols require responders to know how to distinguish between Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke and treat them.
Importantly, all hydration and cooling breaks are flexible and entirely non-penalized, protecting workers from operational or efficiency pressures.Moving beyond just plain water to distribute Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS), buttermilk, and traditional, nutrient-dense ragi malt via factory canteen interventions. Employees also participate in peer-monitoring networks to look out for early warning signs in their immediate teammates.
Vulnerable Profiles and Residential Accommodations
An effective heat management strategy should extend past active production lines to protect vulnerable individuals and cover residential facilities.
Housing Audits: We conduct rigorous audits of all residential facilities for migrant workers to ensure proper cross-ventilation and compliance with occupancy limits.
Maternal Health Management: Pregnant workers are proactively relocated away from heat-generating lines or high-density machinery, re-stationed directly under active cooling vents, and given extra, structured rest periods.
Creche Climate Standards: On-site childcare facilities must comply with thermal standards and ensure that children receive frequent water breaks, suitable food, are dressed appropriately, and are kept out of direct sunlight.
Outdoor Work: Workers follow shift limitations during high-temperature warnings and receive training on working in high-temperature conditions. Heavy physical outdoor work is avoided between 12:00 PM and 4:00 PM.
Amplifying Worker Voice through Digital Feedback
While technical logs provide helpful baseline numbers, capturing the direct feedback and experience of the workforce is critical for identifying localized operational issues. Shahi bridges this gap by leveraging Inache, our proprietary digital worker-voice platform. Using anonymized digital channels, Inache enables operators to directly flag real-time floor conditions such as a broken fan matrix, a malfunctioning water purification station, or localized stuffiness on a specific line. This combination of technical monitoring and anonymous reporting transforms heat mitigation from a top-down policy into an active, responsive feedback loop.
More than Mitigation: The Path Forward
Mitigating heat stress undeniably extends to broader macro-level issues the world grapples with. As our baseline establishes, for each region on a floor, the intervention to reduce heat generation at the source will require a host of innovative solutions. Shahi is partnering with our value chain to dive deeper and find solutions.
Let’s be candid: true partnership requires acknowledging what is difficult. When heat-stress metrics trigger safety protocols, it directly impacts the baseline mechanics of a factory.
The Operational Friction
Production Strain: With average working hours declining by 0.4 hours and overtime dropping by 32%, meeting strict delivery targets while maintaining mandatory rest cycles requires deep alignment with buyers.
Architectural Limits: Retrofitting older buildings presents physical limitations, facing a scarcity of scalable, commercially viable cooling technologies.
The Data Maturity Gap: The difficulty of tracking subjective, behavioral human outcomes with the same mechanical precision used for carbon or water data.
The true value of guidelines is their clear focus on joint accountability and shared responsibility. Upgrading heavy factory engineering infrastructure, installing large HVAC systems, or automated insulation retrofits requires significant capital. These expenses are long-term supply chain investments, not isolated supplier overheads.
An Integrated Approach for Brands and Suppliers:
Shared Capital Allocation: Executing co-investment programs to fund advanced structural cooling improvements and clean energy infrastructure.
Flexible Sourcing Timelines: Adjusting production metrics and delivery windows during extreme regional heatwaves so factories can manage safety adjustments without facing commercial or logistical penalties.
“Climate adaptation is one of the most complex challenges facing manufacturing today. Building resilience will require suppliers to reassess both operational costs and factory design, while working closely with brand partners to align on practical, long-term solutions. Adaptation cannot be treated as a traditional compliance exercise where investments are simply mandated. Meaningful progress will depend on shared commitment, coordinated action, and strategies that are both effective and economically sustainable.” — Anant Ahuja, Director ESG & Sustainability
Progress Over Perfection
As global trade policies adjust to new climate realities, international buyers and retailers must prioritize progress over perfection. There is a need to place a higher long-term value on verified operating logs, transparent development roadmaps, and honest, continuous improvement than on static, flawless data points.
At Shahi, our approach to heat stress guidelines is driven by proactive operational discipline and worker-centric sustainability beyond compliance. We view comprehensive frameworks as valuable references for benchmarking our internal progress, improving our data systems, and deepening our partnerships. Our ultimate commitment remains clear: to deliver world-class apparel products to the global marketplace without compromising the safety, thermal comfort, and fundamental dignity of the employees who drive our factory floors.
New Delhi, India [Date – April 21, 2026]: Shahi Exports, one of India’s largest apparel manufacturers and exporters, has partnered with US-based Innovo Fiber LLC to scale the Fibre52® cotton pretreatment technology across its integrated textile operations. This initiative at Shahi’s knits processing facility marks the largest industrial-scale deployment of the technology globally and a significant step forward in lower-impact cotton processing at scale.
Together, the partnership brings Fibre52®’s patented biochemistry platform with Shahi’s manufacturing scale to advance more resource-efficient cotton processing within large-scale textile production.
Cotton pretreatment is one of the most resource-intensive stages in textile manufacturing. Fibre52® introduces a drop-in, low-temperature pretreatment system that uses ZDHC MRSL v3.1 and OEKO-TEX®-approved chemistries. The process can preserve the natural wax and softness of cotton fiber while eliminating the use of caustic soda and reducing resource intensity compared to conventional pretreatment.
Since early 2024, Fibre52®’s trials at Shahi progressed through a structured validation process of 5MT, 20MT, and, more recently, 100MT fabric trials. The results demonstrated reductions of approximately 25% in water consumption and 49% in steam consumption compared to conventional pretreatment systems.
As part of the scale-up roadmap, Shahi plans to transition approximately 25% of its knit processing capacity to the Fibre52® pretreatment system, representing close to 3,000 tons per annum. Thismarks the shift from controlled trials to industrial adoption within a large, vertically integrated manufacturing environment.
Shahi and Fibre52® are advancing this collaboration as a long-term innovation platform. The focus is on expanding applications, deepening integration across product categories, and reinforcing scalable pathways for lower-impact textile manufacturing.
Laura Thornquist, President of Innovo Fiber, Fibre52®’s parent company, said:
“What makes this partnership unique is not just the technology, but the alignment of vision. Shahi and Fibre52® came together with a shared commitment to rethinking cotton processing at scale. When innovation capability and manufacturing discipline work in sync, real transformation becomes possible.”
Anant Ahuja, Director of ESG & Sustainability, Shahi Exports, said:
“This collaboration reflects the value of close partnership. The Fibre52® team brought a different approach, and Shahi focused on how it could work within our production environment. Together, this has progressed from early validation to measurable production outcomes. It is encouraging to see how sustainability and performance can come together at an industrial scale.”
About Shahi Exports
Shahi Exports is one of India’s largest integrated apparel manufacturers and exporters, supplying leading global fashion and lifestyle brands. The company operates a broad network of textile and garment manufacturing facilities and continues to invest in manufacturing innovation, responsible sourcing, and resource-efficient production.
Innovo Fiber LLC is a US-based technology company and the owner of the Fibre52® cotton pretreatment platform. Fibre52® is a patented system designed to prepare cotton for dyeing while preserving the fiber’s inherent qualities, while reducing the resource intensity compared to conventional cotton processing.
New Delhi, December 16, 2025: Shahi Exports Pvt. Ltd., India’s largest apparel and textile manufacturer, today shared its sustainability progress for Fiscal Year 2024–25. The report underscores the company’s deep commitment to adapt, impact, and inspire sustainability throughout its operations and partnerships, successfully navigating rising global expectations for ethical practices, climate action, and supply chain transparency.
The FY 2024–25 progress report covers the period from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, and primarily focuses on Shahi’s operations in India.
Decisive Climate Action: A Major Shift in Energy
Shahi achieved significant milestones in its environmental journey this year. Driven by a crucial strategic decision to replace coal with sustainable biomass across its facilities. This move directly contributed to achieving a 51% carbon-neutral energy mix, up from 36% in the previous year, and surpassed internal targets earlier than projected.
Harish Ahuja, Managing Director and Chairperson, Shahi Exports Pvt. Ltd., commented,
“Our transition from coal to sustainable biomass was a bold and necessary step, helping us achieve 51% carbon-neutral energy across the company, up from 36% just last year. This progress does not happen by chance. It is a result of detailed planning, relentless execution, and our firm belief that we can and must do better as we transition toward a more responsible energy future.”
Investing in People and Community Well-being
The company placed significant emphasis on social responsibility, delivering substantial progress in employee development, empowerment, and community engagement:
Upskilling and Training: The organization provided over 1 million hours of employee training and delivered technical skills training to 75,000 women.
Worker Health: More than 17,000 workers participated in the company’s health camps.
Worker Voice: Shahi ensured 100% access to Inache, its digital worker-voice tool, enhancing workplace communication and transparency.
Community Outreach: Initiatives dedicated to driving education, health, environment, employment, and empowerment outcomes in communities served over 475,000+ individuals.
Expanding Influence Through Collaboration
Recognizing that industry-wide change requires partnership, Shahi broadened its collaborative footprint this year:
Industry Innovation: Shahi co-founded the Fashion Producers Collective, an initiative focused on supplier-led research to drive systemic improvements.
Global Stewardship: The company continued its dedicated work within The Fashion Pact and further solidified its alignment with international governance standards by joining the OECD Advisory Group on Responsible Supply Chains and theCoalition for Reproductive Justice in Business under UNFPA.
As Shahi moves forward, its objective remains to drive people and planet-positive practices that secure long-term value for all stakeholders and establish new performance benchmarks for responsible manufacturing.
Why Innovation Scaling in Fashion Has an Integration Problem
For the past decade, the fashion industry has pursued innovation in materials, chemicals, and decarbonization with urgency, but one critical factor remains overlooked: supply chain integration.
Brands, funders, startups, manufacturers, and ecosystem partners often operate in silos, despite sharing similar goals. Startups often prioritize partnerships with brands over manufacturers. Brands struggle to make off-take commitments to their manufacturers. Manufacturers are stuck in pilot frenzy, disproportionately bearing financial risk relative to their margins. Funders and VCs sit at a distance from all of this – wondering where to make the most bang for their buck.
True scale is only possible when all four players—startups, brands, funders, and suppliers—work together.
Brands: The Power of the Pull
In fashion, demand signals start upstream. That’s why we begin with brands to convert promising pilots into larger production runs. Here, it’s important to understand the difference between product innovation (like a new material) and production innovation (like a new process). While a new process might offer immediate efficiency gains for a supplier, a new material requires a brand’s commitment to be adopted. But we’re lagging behind as an industry: A report by Fashion for Good states that while 51% of brands have committed to using preferred sustainable materials by 2030, the current global production of next-gen materials is less than 1%.
Valley of death
Brands often struggle to “pull” these innovations through long-term offtake agreements due to premium costs or minor quality differences before a startup achieves economies of scale. Brand commitments are crucial in derisking the investment for suppliers and helping innovators survive the “valley of death” — a stage between demo and scaling where innovations sink without the required support. Brand consortia can also play a vital role. For example, Fashion for Good has recently launched two “Fiber Clubs” to generate streamlined demand and provide much-needed orders to mills that have relentlessly tested these materials. This helps prevent pilot fatigue for manufacturers, where different brands conduct similar trials in silos.
Startups: From Brand-First to Supplier-First
Bio-based prepare-for-dye innovation trial
For Production Innovation, startups must innovate for the manufacturer, not just the brand. Off-take commitments create predictable demand—but demand only converts if plants can actually run the process. That hand-off is where startups must shift from “brand-first” to “supplier-first.”
A successful pilot doesn’t guarantee a viable integration in a factory setting. In our experience, the startups that successfully scale are the ones that prioritize direct partnerships with suppliers. They get on the ground, in the mills and factories, to run pilots, tweak recipes, and build trust. They’ve focused on making their value proposition to manufacturers operating on razor-thin margins clear: reducing costs or improving efficiencies. For example, we’re currently working with a bio-based prepare-for-dye startup that has honed its technology for its mill partners, showing tangible resource savings in steam, water, and time. It took us 18 months to go from pilot to bulk trials, and we are now working with them to forge a long-term partnership.
Funders and VCs: Accelerating Commercial Feasibility
Even supplier-first startups hit a wall if there are financial constraints. This is where aligned capital can be most effective.
Financial institutions, VCs, and philanthropic funds are vital to scaling. By linking directly with suppliers, they can accelerate commercial feasibility and make better-informed investment decisions. Funders want their portfolio companies to have industry linkages for testing and validation, and suppliers hold the technical expertise.
This collaboration moves a technology from theoretical to practical assessment. For example, we’ve worked with a research institution on a grant-funded study on electrification and decarbonization. We were also able to run a grant-funded pilot for an electrical water recycling technology. This helped us move quickly from a theoretical to a practical assessment of the technology for commercialization.
Suppliers: The Technical Heart of Innovation
Financing and studies can de-risk the idea, but suppliers de-risk the integration.
Suppliers are often seen as passive implementers, but they are the technical heart of innovation. They possess the operational know-how to make a startup’s solution industry-ready. By recognizing their power in innovation integration, suppliers can be proactive partners. They are the most savvy and technically sound stakeholders in the supply chain, and they have the knowledge to mentor and guide startups on the viability and scalability of new solutions.
Across these roles, the pattern is clear: demand signal (brands), an impactful idea that can scale (startups + suppliers), and acceleration capital (funders) locked in a single plan—not a sequence of uncoordinated actions.
At Shahi, we have developed a four-part process:
This systematic approach allows us to find solutions that directly address our needs, reimagine ideas that aren’t a win-win, and mentor startups to navigate the complexities of a real production environment.
Define: We frame the problem statement based on the requirements of a mill or business unit. For example, our mills are currently looking for technologies beyond biomass to phase out coal.
Scout: We leverage our network of accelerators and partners to identify startups that solve our problems. For example, we collaborated with a corporate innovation accelerator to host a “Pivot with Purpose” deal flow session, where nine energy startups presented their technologies to our teams.
Direct technical due diligence by engineering experts
Pilot: We design a pilot plan in a controlled environment with a technical lead. For example, for an electrical water treatment technology, the pilot machine and the startup technician stayed at our facility for 10 days, being closely monitored by our Engineering Head. Together, they determined the efficacy of the solution, tweaking the system as they went along.
Scale: Once a technology clears the pilot and commercial feasibility, it can move into scaling. We recognize that just because something works in a pilot, it may still fail in bulk. If it’s a product innovation, brand pull is needed. For example, we’re currently working with a couple of brand partners to produce bulk orders of a textile-to-textile recycled material.
So what does a new innovation system look like?
If we want to achieve true decarbonization and circularity by 2030, we must move beyond pilots that don’t scale. One-off experiments waste time, while integrated partnerships change systems. That means: brands committing to off-take instead of just targets; startups optimizing for factory floors, not press releases; funders underwriting the uncertain middle, where risks are highest but impact is proven; and suppliers leaning in to this process to make innovations industry-ready.
At Shahi, we’ve built our Define–Scout–Pilot–Scale model to make this kind of integration practical and repeatable. We frame the problem with our mills, bring in the right innovators, and only scale when economics and reliability are clear.
If you’re a brand, startup, or funder ready to co-design the future of sustainable fashion,
* S. Barr, T. Baker, S. Markham, A. Kingon, “Bridging the valley of death: lessons learned from 14 years of commercialization of technology education”, Academy of Management Learning and Education, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 370-388, 2009.
The manufacturing sector in India currently contributes 17% to the nation’s overall GDP. India has the advantage of a young and ambitious demographic dividend. Therefore, it aims to reach 25% of its economic output from the manufacturing sector by FY 2025-26. Several factors can fuel this growth: government initiatives, a young workforce, rising domestic demand, and global supply chain shifts. The textile industry plays a vital role in the manufacturing sector, contributing 13% to the overall industrial production. It is the country’s second-largest employer after agriculture. The industry plays a crucial role in job creation and warrants an in-depth study to identify the challenges and opportunities ahead.
To understand the sector’s unique challenges, the Foundation for Economic Development (FED) conducted a comprehensive case study. The study focused on Shahi Exports, India’s largest apparel manufacturer. FED is an organization focused on promoting sustainable economic growth through research, data-driven insights, and strategic partnerships. It aims to provide key stakeholders with the knowledge needed to address challenges and support development across industries. Shahi’s 50-year journey provides a valuable perspective on both the opportunities and challenges within the Indian textile industry.
FED’s Analysis of Shahi and its Manufacturing Roadmap
In the case study, ‘Shahi Exports: Stitching India’s Manufacturing Success,’ FED examines Shahi’s history, evolution, and strategies for navigating India’s manufacturing challenges. Shahi’s rapid and sustained growth, high employment rates, and prominent presence in this labor-intensive industry made it a focal case.
FED’s study highlights the challenges that limit India’s ability to leverage its demographic dividend in manufacturing. These include a strict and complex regulatory framework, lengthy compliance management, customs and trade barriers, and logistical constraints from a highly fragmented textile supply chain. Such factors make it difficult for large-scale manufacturers to thrive. FED’s study examines Shahi’s journey and the factors contributing to its growth. From a small home operation with fewer than 15 employees, Shahi has grown into a major employer. Today, it supports over 100,000 individuals, 70% of whom are women. Shahi’s emphasis on leadership management, high operational efficiency, and a commitment to people and the planet have stood out in FED’s analysis. Here are the identified practices that have driven growth:
Professional Management in leadership and decision-making
Operational Efficiency through Vertical Integration
Scaling operations across 8 Indian states
Worker-centric policies catering to career, health, and skill development
Industry-Research Collaboration and Actionable Insights
The FED study offers a comprehensive view of the industry’s unique challenges, comparing India with competitors like Vietnam and Bangladesh. It is a combination of academic and industry perspectives, bringing structured methodology and actionable solutions.
This study also serves as a reminder of the importance of industry partnerships. These partnerships lay a foundation for targeted actions that stakeholders can implement effectively. Building on these insights, the analysis provides a more holistic view of the opportunities that need the synergy of stakeholders across the private and public sectors. Key enabling conditions and ethical business practices can propel the Indian apparel and textile industry towards sustainable growth. To get a holistic view of the study’s insights, read the case study here.
Bharat Tex 2025, held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi from February 14-17, served as a crucial platform for industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators to converge and chart the course for the future of textiles. As a NextGen Partner, Shahi Exports played a prominent role, driving conversations around sustainability, technological advancements, and workforce development.
Prime Minister Modi’s Visit and Interaction
Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi visited Shahi’s display and discussed the future of the textile industry with Harish Ahuja, Managing Director and Chairperson at Shahi Exports. They explored strategies to advance sustainability, technology, and workforce development.
Reflecting on the industry’s direction, Harish Ahuja stated, “The future of India’s textile sector lies in collaboration, innovation, and sustainability. Platforms like Bharat Tex provide valuable opportunities for industry and policymakers to work together. We appreciate the government’s initiatives and remain dedicated to contributing to this shared vision.”
The Prime Minister also had the opportunity to meet Harshwati, a worker trained under the Samarth scheme. Harshwati shared her inspiring story of transformation, demonstrating how skill development programs can create real employment opportunities. She explained how 40 days of free skill training empowered her to operate various machines and become a skilled worker at Shahi, giving her a sense of independence and pride. Expressing her gratitude, she said, “Mai SAMARTH se Samarth ho gayi hu (SAMARTH has empowered me).”
Government Engagement Underscores Collaborative Approach
Key government officials visited Shahi’s stall over four days. Shri Giriraj Singh, Minister of Textiles; Smt. Neelam Shamirrao, Secretary; Shri Rohit Kansal, Additional Secretary; Shri Ajay Gupta, Joint Secretary; and Shri Pabitra Margherita, Minister of State for Textiles engaged in discussions. These interactions reinforced the importance of industry-government collaboration to drive growth and innovation in textiles.
Bringing the Manufacturer’s Perspective to Industry Panels
Our leaders participated in key panel discussions addressing industry challenges and opportunities.
Harish Ahuja discussed manufacturing growth at ‘Scaling up Textile Manufacturing in India: Grabbing Opportunities, Addressing Challenges’ by KPMG.
Anand PB, Director, Corporate Affairs, explored investment opportunities at ‘Unlocking Karnataka’s Growth Potential: Investment Opportunities in a Progressive Ecosystem’ by the Karnataka State Government.
Anant Ahuja, Director of ESG and Sustainability, spoke at ‘Sustainable Futures: Collaborative Pathways’ conducted by NIFT.
These sessions brought a range of partners and key stakeholders together from across the supply chain to discuss critical aspects of sustainability, supply chain complexities, industry roles in decarbonization, and government collaboration.
Shahi’s NextGen Display: Innovation and Legacy
Shahi’s stall embodied its legacy of excellence and its next-gen approach to manufacturing. The Milestones Wall illustrated key achievements, mapping the company’s journey in the textile industry. The product display featured cutting-edge fabrics designed for both innovation and environmental responsibility. As a NextGen Partner, Shahi continues to push the boundaries of textile manufacturing, integrating tradition with modern advancements.
At the Sustainability Pavilion: A Five Elements Approach
Inspired by Prime Minister Modi’s vision for Mission LiFE—”Mission LiFE borrows from the past, operates in the present, and focuses on the future”—the Sustainability Pavilion depicted initiatives by Indian industries that resonate with the five elements. Shahi demonstrated its commitment to representing the element Fire (अग्नि), signifying Energy and Transformation to this vision. Empowering employees through transparent grievance redressal systems and multilingual communication reflects our commitment to the energy of transformation, driving innovation and collaboration.
Bharat Tex 2025 provided valuable engagement with policymakers, industry leaders, and stakeholders. We are grateful to all visitors and partners for their insightful discussions. Looking ahead, Shahi remains dedicated to innovation, sustainability, and strengthening India’s position as a global textile leader.
Albert Einstein famously said, ‘We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.’ This insight couldn’t be more relevant in global efforts to decarbonize. For the fashion industry— responsible for up to 10% of global carbon emissions; a major problem to solve is halving its emissions in the next five years. With up to 80% of those emissions coming from supply chains, manufacturers like Shahi bear the heaviest responsibility. Accelerating progress on these fronts will require new ways of thinking and working.
How do manufacturing companies lead this transition while navigating financial risks and technological challenges?
This article explores the steps we are taking toward renewable energy and how collaboration between brands and stakeholders is key to unlocking sustainable solutions.
Breaking down energy consumption in manufacturing
Our operations rely on two types of energy: electrical and thermal. Electrical energy powers daily activities, while thermal energy, mainly from boilers, generates steam and hot water for processes like dyeing and finishing fabrics.
At Shahi, 81% of our energy comes from thermal energy due to our large textile operations, with the rest coming from electricity. While renewable electricity has been the industry’s primary focus, phasing out fossil-fuel-based thermal energy in textile production is where the biggest impact of decarbonization lies.
Toward 100% renewable electricity at Shahi
Over the past decade, we’ve invested heavily in renewable electricity, reaching 65% renewable energy for our operations. Supported by favorable government policies, in 2018, we strategically invested in two solar plants with a combined 84 MW capacity and 8.75 MW of wind power in Karnataka. These plants generate 130 million kWh annually, cutting over 610,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions since 2018. This year, we’re expanding with a 40 MW solar project in Karnataka and smaller ones in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, bringing our renewable capacity to 151 MW.
Driven by our commitment to sustainability, we are working toward 100% renewable electricity by 2027.
Phasing out coal in our operations
By 2022, we successfully transitioned all our garment factories from coal to biomass. The greater challenge lies in our textile mills, which require hundreds of tons of coal daily to operate. The UN The Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action mandates that brands should not onboard any new factories and mills that use coal. This significantly accelerates the timeline for phasing out coal set by the Paris Agreement, which permits non-OECD countries until 2040. However, the Charter also states that brands should establish engagement and incentive programs to support their suppliers’ transition from coal. Thus making collaboration and a willingness to share risks essential.
We are addressing this by rapidly increasing biomass use, a carbon-neutral alternative. One of our mills has been 100% coal-free since December 2023, and two will be 50% coal-free by January 2025.
Challenges of decarbonizing thermal energy
Replacing coal with biomass as a fuel source requires substantial upfront investments from suppliers. For each of our 50 factories and 3 textile mills, we’ve invested substantially in biomass-enabled systems, including Atmospheric Fluidized Combustion (AFBC) boilers, Thermopac systems with electrostatic precipitators to capture fine particles, expanded biomass storage facilities, and automated ash handling plants to reduce health risks.
Sourcing and handling biomass also present challenges. Building a reliable supplier network is crucial to mitigate seasonal fuel fluctuations and ensure a steady supply chain. In India, like most of the world, biomass is still an informal industry compared to coal, which is well-established. To address the challenge of the biomass supply chains, we’re collaborating with biomass aggregators and experts to assess local agricultural waste availability. Our goal is to vertically integrate our biomass supply.
This, however, would be a temporary solution that will need replacing with more sustainable options, requiring additional investments in the future. We are excited by upcoming technologies such as green hydrogen, electric boilers, and heat pumps.
A study in India shows that electric boilers and heat pumps are capital-intensive and are likely to increase the cost of operations, driven by the price of electricity, which is higher than the current fuel prices per unit of energy. While the return on investment for these technologies is yet to be determined, and given that textiles is a low-margin industry, manufacturers need government and brand incentives to help switch to newer, cleaner technologies. Further, to drive emissions down further, it’s important that the national grid procures increasing amounts of clean electricity and shifts away from fossil fuels overall.
Collaboration as a catalyst for change
While the major impact of climate change lies in the supply chain, the entire value chain, including brands and other important stakeholders, must share responsibility for climate action. Collaboration with brands and stakeholders is key to reducing the risks of transitioning away from fossil fuels and creating innovative solutions that can be scaled and adopted.
First, it is crucial to accelerate R&D to find alternatives to biomass. Decarbonization isn’t just a fashion industry issue; it’s a global challenge that requires cross-industry collaboration. For example, we can learn from the tech industry, which is adopting renewables as its energy demand increases significantly with the rise of AI.
Second, sharing the financial burden requires not only brand support but also financial institutions. Manufacturers can benefit from funding for higher-risk, long-term investments, such as infrastructure changes needed for climate adaptation that go beyond debt.
Finally, reimagining suppliers as value-adding co-creators rather than just implementers ensures sustainability strategies align more closely with real-world operations.
By aligning goals, pooling resources, and fostering transparent partnerships, we can develop scalable, unified solutions to decarbonize the industry.
We are excited to launch the third edition of our sustainability report, ‘Moving the Needle: Adapt, Impact, Inspire.’ In FY 2023-24, we focused on adapting to change, driving impact, and inspiring efforts across the value chain.
This year, we have deepened our dedication to sustainable practices for both people and the planet. We’re advancing environmentally conscious actions across our operations to ensure a circular value chain.
Anant Ahuja, Director of ESG and Sustainability at Shahi Exports, said,
“The Sustainability Report has allowed us to track our progress more closely and reflect on both our immediate and long-term strategies. Many of the sustainability challenges the industry faces require innovative solutions, and the data in this report enable us to better understand where to accelerate our innovation efforts and where we are making measurable progress.”
Key highlights from the report:
TO ADAPT:
Our journey of adaptation aligns with industry shifts and environmental sensitivities, leading to strategic enhancements in governance and operations:
Established a dedicated governance team in FY 2023-24 to uphold accountability.
Partnering with next-gen material and dry processing innovators. We ensured that 50% of the materials we use fall under the sustainable category.
Adapted to the evolving legislative landscape as our Knits Processing Division became one of India’s first mills to undergo the Yarn Ethically and Sustainably Sourced Assessment.
Scaling our flagship digitization project, ‘Trakwel’, across factories.
TO IMPACT:
Our efforts aim to create a positive impact on our workforce, communities, and the planet. In FY 2023-24, we implemented key initiatives to enhance sustainability and social responsibility, achieving meaningful outcomes:
People:
Achieved 106% of our STITCH program supervisor training goal.
Reached 106% of our goal to train women in Gap Inc. P.A.C.E.
Surpassed training goals with 110% completion in BSafe- Grievance Redressal Mechanism awareness.
Reached 98% of skill development targets with local communities.
Reached 20,590 mothers and children under our Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition services, meeting 137% of our goal.
Introduced EWASE (Empowering Women at Shahi Exports) to champion gender equality and support women in advancing to leadership roles.
Planet:
Achieved 100% coal phase-out in one of our mills.
Scored 68.92% of verified Higg FEM Index Version 4.0 score against a global avg of 48.08%.
Achieved 78% recycled water usage for industrial purposes in our textile mills
100% of the dyes and auxiliaries used in our production processes are ZDHC MRSL compliant.
Achieved a CDP score of ‘B’ compared to the global average of ‘C’.
TO INSPIRE:
A key objective is to inspire industry-wide change and elevate standards for environmental and social responsibility. To advance this goal, we’ve partnered with leading organizations:
Fashion Pact: Serving on the Fashion Pact Steering Committee, we engage and collaborate on critical industry and environmental issues. This helps us share a supply chain partner’s perspective and learn from the industry’s best practices.
Transformer’s Foundation: Collaborated with The Transformers Foundation and peers like Epic Group, Simple Approach, and Norlanka to create An Apparel Supplier’s Guide to Key Sustainability Legislation, outlining 12 upcoming laws in the US, UK, and EU.
Fashion Producer’s Collective: Serving on the Producer Committee to amplify producer voices, share knowledge, and drive sustainable fashion leadership.
International Apparel Federation: Joined the federation to strengthen sustainable supply chains, industry standardization, and inclusive solutions.
Harish Ahuja, Managing Director and Chairperson of Shahi Exports, said,
“As we enter our 50th year, we’re excited about what lies ahead. Our roadmap focuses on diversifying our product portfolio, prioritizing sustainability, and investing in our people. We look toward a more circular future as we remain steadfast in our role as catalysts for change.”
At Shahi, we believe in sharing our experiences and learning with all the stakeholders in the fashion industry and beyond. This is an ongoing post to share insights from our speaking engagements in 2024. Read insights from previous years’ engagements: 2023, 2022.
4 September | Innovation and Technology Symposium 2024
Anant Ahuja, Director of ESG and Sustainability, participated as a speaker at the HKRITA – The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel Limited’s I&T Symposium 2024. The symposium explored turning lab innovations into real-world applications that drive meaningful change across fashion and textiles.
Anant’s session on ‘Scaling Innovation in Textile Manufacturing’ highlighted Shahi’s collaborative efforts with HKRITA in developing Aborboost- a cellulosic superabsorbent polymer (C-SAP) made from cotton textile waste. This development underscores the need for a closed loop in textile waste management systems that help farmers and the environment.
30 August | Indian Manufacturing Leadership Forum
Anant Ahuja attended the International Manufacturing Leadership Forum, organized by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce (FICCI). The forum focused on strengthening India’s manufacturing competitiveness. Industry leaders gathered to discuss challenges and strategies that can position India as a global manufacturing hub.
The discussions explored actionable steps to advance the Make in India vision. Participants also called for supportive government policies. The event emphasized collaborative efforts essential for building a robust manufacturing ecosystem that boosts India’s global economic standing.
23 August | Finance Leadership Dialogue
Mayank Kumar, CFO of the Ladies Speciality Division (LSD), represented Shahi at the second edition of the Finance leadership dialogue hosted by the Financial Express in association with Oracle.
The dialogue saw an exchange of ideas on ‘Technological Innovation Changing Financial Landscape.’ Several industry leaders came together to discuss the impact of technology in a digital-first era. They explored the shifting nature of a CFO’s role, emphasizing the incorporation of innovation and analytics by the businesses. The dialogue aimed to foster collaboration to address key challenges and identify opportunities in today’s evolving financial landscape.
5 August | The Good Business Forum: Redesigning the Bottom Line
Shahi participated in ‘The Good Business Forum: Redesigning the Bottom Line’ event organized by Good Business Lab at the Bangalore International Centre. The forum brought together industry leaders and innovators to explore the impact of worker well-being on global competitiveness.
Anant Ahuja opened the event with a keynote on sustainable practices. Shahi’s involvement extended to two panels. Senior GM Chitra Prasad joined the panel titled ‘Shared value creation requires co-designing with stakeholders’, discussing collaborative designs for behavioral change with peers from RISE and TATA Motors.
In another panel, ‘Worker voices empower business transformation’, Shahi’s S.R. Divya, Operator, and Shabana Banu, IE Assistant, shared their insights, underscoring the importance of worker voices in the evolution of a business.
28 June | Stitching Sustainability: Change With Every Thread
Kritika Chauhan, Manager of ESG & Innovations, participated in a panel discussion at the “Stitching Sustainability: Change With Every Thread” event organized by Saahas and GIZ. She spoke about Shahi’s waste management and circular models for textile waste.
Kritika emphasized the importance of R&D, innovation, and embracing recycled materials along with the potential of bringing new technologies to India.
The event focused on sustainable practices in the textile industry, exploring opportunities and charting a path forward.
27 June | GBL X SLCP | Human Rights Due Diligence: Impacts and Opportunities for Indian Suppliers
Srinivasa Rao Venkatesh, Chief Compliance Officer, attended a panel discussion on Human Rights Due Diligence: Impacts and Opportunities for Indian Suppliers along with the speakers from GBL, SLCP and Gokaldas Exports.
The panel emphasized supporting suppliers and understanding their perspectives, highlighting the role of social compliance tools and grievance solutions in meeting requirements and fostering business success. They underscored the transformative impact of effective communication with workers and grievance redressal mechanisms on organizational change and benefits.
Mr. Rao mentioned transitioning from diversity to convergence to improve due diligence. Shahi established a governance team to oversee worker risk, health, safety, and compliance, leading to the development of Inache, a platform aligned with global standards for worker empowerment.
14 June | TESCO Supplier Summit 2024
Shahi attended the Tesco Supplier Summit in Bengaluru, where we actively engaged in key panel discussions. Chitra Prasad, Senior General Manager of Organizational Development, shared valuable insights on gender, supply chain, and labor agency management. Additionally, Puja Tickoo, Executive Vice President of the Ladies Speciality Division, discussed Shahi’s commitment to responsible business growth by integrating environmental sustainability into all stages of production.
22 May | Global Fashion Summit 2024
Our Managing Director and Chairperson, Harish Ahuja, represented Shahi at this year’s Global Fashion Summit: Copenhagen Edition, presented by Global Fashion Agenda.
In the panel discussion, ‘Collective Financing Models for Climate,’ he underscored the universal challenge of decarbonization and highlighted the potential learning from other industries to gain valuable insights. He emphasized the necessity of collaborative solutions in the fashion sector, including alignment on decarbonization goals.
Harish stressed the need for brands and retailers to collectively finance research and innovation to address unsolved challenges, such as renewable energy storage and efficient order placement to prevent overproduction.
Venkat Rao, Chief Compliance Officer, participated in the panel ‘The SLCP Process & System’ organized by the Social & Labor Convergence Program. The panel discussed the SLCP process and system, covering topics such as the assessment process, timeline, and how to effectively navigate and maximize the use of the Gateway and Accredited Host platforms.
6 April | ‘Sustainability: Balancing People, Profits, and Planet’ hosted by Shiv Nadar Institute of Eminence (SNIoE)
Anant Ahuja, Head of ESG, participated at the Annual Economics Conclave – Iqtisadiyyat’24 hosted by Shiv Nadar Institute of Eminence (SNIoE).
In his keynote address on ‘Sustainability: Balancing People, Profits, and Planet,’ he discussed integrating sustainable business practices within manufacturing industries, highlighting the necessity of balancing profitability with responsible operations for the well-being of people and the environment.
01 March | ‘Traceability Pilots in Indian Cotton Supply Chains: Lessons for Sustainability and Due Diligence’panel by the U.S. Department of Labor
Kritika Chauhan, AM, Communications & Sustainability Innovation participated in a panel ‘Traceability Pilots in Indian Cotton Supply Chains: Lessons for Sustainability and Due Diligence’ organised by the U.S. Department of Labor.
The panel discussed how technologies can support labor due diligence, with a focus on additive product tracers and isotope testing. Sharing the key learnings from the STREAMS traceability pilots, Kritika shared that as the first mill to implement YESS, Shahi looked forward to exploring complementary technologies and future advancements.
28 February | Masterclass organised by Good Business Lab
Deepak Rautela, Associate Vice President, Training & Organizational Development, spoke at the Masterclass on “Enhancing Business Gains through Worker Communication” organized by Good Business Lab at Bharat Tex 2024. He was joined by Lavanya Garg, Director, Strategy, Partnership, and People Operations at Good Business Lab, and Renukaprasad B, Senior Manager of GBL Ventures.
He shared insights on the transformative impact of Inache, an anonymous and digital grievance redressal tool, from the use-case experience of Shahi and how it has helped improve worker communication from the shop floor.
28 February | ‘Redefining Natural Fibers: Collaboration for High-Value Products’ panel at Bharat Tex 2024
Gauri Sharma represented Shahi at a panel discussion on ‘Redefining Natural Fibers: Collaboration for High-Value Products’ at Bharat Tex 2024. She shared, “Innovation in sustainable materials faces hurdles in scaling up due to certification costs and performance expectations. Alongside sustainability, we need to focus on performance and added benefits to the consumer. Supporting innovations emerging in India, especially in the transition from pilot to commercial stage, requires collective efforts from both industry and government.”
28 February | ‘Doing Business in India’ panel organised by Invest India
Anant Ahuja, Head of ESG, participated in a panel ‘Doing Business in India’ organised by Invest India at Bharat Tex 2024. He highlighted the role of manufacturers in advancing sustainability, emphasizing the importance of collaboration across the supply chain to achieve decarbonization, use sustainable materials, and address other key sustainability goals.
The panel aimed to drive growth and elevate India’s global competitiveness in textiles, making it an attractive destination for investment.
27 February | Vision 2047 in Textiles
Harish Ahuja, Managing Director and Chairperson represented Shahi at a panel titled ‘Vision 2047 in Textiles’ hosted by NITI Aayog at Bharat Tex 2024. He shared his views on achieving the vision of making India the world’s largest textile hub. He mentioned, “As a roadmap ahead, the Indian textile industry’s primary vision should be to have a systemic approach toward sustainability to boost the global value chain. By focusing on building a robust value chain, enhancing infrastructure, scaling economies, and prioritizing quality, we can reignite India’s growth in textiles, propelling us towards Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliance).”
26 February | CXOs Roundtable at Bharat Tex 2024
Shahi participated in an exclusive CXO Roundtable organized by KPMG at the Bharat Tex, which facilitates collaboration with industry peers on strategic initiatives. Harish Ahuja, the Managing Director and Chairperson, represented Shahi at the roundtable.
The panel discussed the steps India needs to take to reduce reliance on imported raw materials. Other takeaways included focusing on scale, sustainability, and quality to make India a global manufacturing hub for textiles and apparel. He shared, “Through collaborative platforms and a focus on operational efficiency, the textile industry can drive innovation and sustainable growth. Smart automation and cutting-edge technology, empowering women, and accessing global markets are key strategies for success in the sector.”
21 February | OECD – OCDE Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector
Anant Ahuja, represented Shahi at the OECD – Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector. In the panel, ‘More than just paperwork? He highlighted the role of certifications in due diligence as a supplement to compliance with standards, driving improvements, and addressing challenges in the supply chain.
20 February | ‘Mill Conformance with Due Diligence Requirements – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly’ at the OECD – OECD Forum
Kritika Chauhan, Assistant Manager, Communications & Sustainability Innovation, was a panelist on ‘Mill Conformance with Due Diligence Requirements – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly ’ by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). She shared Shahi’s experiences in understanding, meeting, and assessing the requirements of the YESS due diligence standards. She also explored strategies to scale due diligence efforts to address potential and actual forced labor risk.
19 February | Moderated Panel Discussion at the OECD – OECD Forum
Anant Ahuja moderated a session by Better Buying Institute at the OECD—OCDE Forum on ‘Empowering suppliers and supporting buyers in using data to accelerate purchasing practices improvements’. The panel discussed obstacles hindering the acceleration of purchasing practices and explored strategies for utilizing BBI data to address these challenges and promote optimal practices for driving change.
The speakers on the panel were Marsha Dickson from Better Buying Institute, Michael Levine from Under Armour, Nikhil Hirdaramani from Hirdaramani Apparel, Pat Noonan from SanMar Corporation, Stanley Szeto from Lever Style, Marc Beckmann from GIZ-FABRIC, and Janet Mensink from SLCP.
14 February | Supplier Journey with Walmart
Anant Ahuja, spoke at the Walmart Growth Summit 2024 in a panel titled ‘Supplier Journey with Walmart.’
He discussed Shahi’s journey with Walmart, highlighting our collaborative efforts. He stated, “Our supplier journey with Walmart spans over three decades. Their commitment to innovation and sustainability drives us to continuously improve, aligning perfectly with our values. By investing in the supply chain, we aim to grow the positive impacts our business can have.”
