Coal, Heat Stress & Worker Voice: Rethinking Sustainability in Apparel | Anant Ahuja, Shahi Exports

Less than 1% of clothes are recycled. Most next-gen materials are still stuck at pilot scale. And factory workers rarely get a say in sustainability targets. Our Associate Sub-Editor Ananya Mariam Rajesh was in conversation with Anant Ahuja, Head of ESGI and Sustainability at Shahi Exports, on what circular, worker-centred apparel manufacturing really takes. 👉 Subscribe to Fibre2Fashion for weekly textile and apparel intelligence: https://www.youtube.com/@Fibre2FashionPvtLtd In this Fibre2Fashion Podcast episode, host Ananya Mariam Rajesh speaks with Anant Ahuja about: ♻️ CIRCULARITY • Why circularity means more than recycling: less water, less energy, and better working conditions • Why “a system where all materials get recycled, but workers are mistreated” isn’t a just circular system • The cradle-to-cradle gold certified dress that worked at scale, then got no repeat order 🧵 NEXT-GEN MATERIALS • Which recycled fibres, bio-based materials and alternative dyes are reaching commercial volume, and which are stuck at pilot scale • Why recycled-content rules will push the industry to scale faster • Why brands, not manufacturers, decide which materials go into production • Why capsule collections aren’t enough, and what it would take to move to large-scale collections • How pre-treatment chemistry is cutting water, dye use and processing time without changing the end product 🗣 WORKER VOICES • Why workers talk about thermal comfort, not coal • Why a suggestion box isn’t a mod