At the India Fashion Forum (IFF) Innovators Club | Sustainability & Innovation Conclave held on October 3, 2024, at the ITC Maratha, Mumbai, Ritesh Sharma, Head of Brand & Retail at R|Elan™ gave his insights on “Enabling Brands to Give Superior Value to their Consumers.” He provided a deep dive into the company’s commitment to innovation, sustainability, and collaboration, underlining how its advanced textile solutions are reshaping the fashion industry. R|Elan™, the polyester arm of Reliance Industries, has emerged as a leader in providing performance-based, eco-friendly fabrics that meet the evolving demands of global consumers.
Reliance Industries’ Leadership in Polyester
Reliance Industries, the parent company of R|Elan™, commands the global polyester industry with an annual production capacity of 3.5 million tonnes, equivalent to 5% of the world’s total polyester output. With facilities that include the world’s largest refinery in Jamnagar and a cutting-edge textile testing centre in Coimbatore, the company’s dominance in size and technology is unrivalled. Sharma emphasised the importance of this infrastructure in delivering cutting-edge solutions for brands and consumers alike.
He further highlighted the two approaches to innovation in fashion:
- Top-Down Approach: The first method involves creating a product that you believe is beautiful and appropriate, then attempting to push it through the value chain, from brand to consumer. However, this often leads to disappointment when brands or consumers do not embrace the product as expected.
- Consumer-Centric Approach: The second, more effective method starts with understanding the consumer’s needs. This approach involves researching current and future consumer preferences to inform product development.
Themes driving consumer interest:
- Sustainability: Sharma stressed, “Our company conducts extensive consumer research in collaboration with consulting agencies. Today, sustainability is a key theme driving consumer interest in fashion, so we recognise the need to integrate sustainable practices and materials into our product development.”
- Performance: On the performance front, Sharma added, “Performance is another significant factor influencing consumer choices. For this, we focus on integrating functional attributes, particularly in activewear and sportswear categories. Furthermore, innovations in denim also emphasise performance, catering to the evolving needs of consumers.”
- Aesthetics: Sharma further said, “While functionality is essential, aesthetics play a crucial role in consumer decisions. When shoppers enter a retail space, colour and brightness initially attract them. Therefore, the tactile experience and the feel of the fabric are paramount for consumer satisfaction.”
Green Gold: A Milestone in Sustainable Fashion
At the core of R|Elan™’s sustainability efforts is Green Gold, a line of polyester fabrics made entirely from recycled PET bottles. Reliance’s extensive recycling capabilities and the Higg Index certification for transparency and environmental impact support the initiative. Through Green Gold, R|Elan™ transforms plastic waste into high-quality, versatile fabrics for various applications such as denim and activewear, demonstrating the company’s commitment to reducing waste and promoting circularity in fashion. Through this initiative, claims surrounding sustainability agree with the parameters of measurement, traceability, and transparency.
“We ensure that our recycled products are 100% compliant, child labour-free, and transparent in sourcing, particularly from regions like India and China, where issues like child labour in bottle collection exist. We offer the best whiteness levels in recycled fibres with a minimal price difference of about ₹5/kg,” Sharma said.
Adding a concluding comment on the Green Gold initiative, he emphasised, “Collaboration with value chain partners helps us minimize garment cost impact. Additionally, we provide pre-coloured, waterless-dyed fibres (dope dye), saving significant water and retaining colour. We also produce high-density fibres that are suitable for sewing threads and comply with strict global standards, such as having a bifinol content of less than 1 ppm. Although we can comply with these standards, we require prior notice for orders of this nature.”
EcoGold: Biodegradable Polyester
Building on its eco-conscious portfolio, R|Elan™ has introduced EcoGold, a groundbreaking biodegradable polyester fibre that accelerates decomposition under anaerobic conditions, offering a crucial solution to the rising global textile waste problem.
On the functioning of EcoGold, Sharma explained, “We’ve added enzymes to fibres at the dope stage that attract bacteria. Although the bacteria in landfills, soil, or seawater are different from those in homes, they gravitate toward these enzymes under anaerobic conditions.”
“Cyclofibers contain biophilic ingredients that create microenvironments for microbes to break down the material, converting it into biogas and biomass. Globally, 92 million tonnes of textile waste end up in landfills annually, with 8 million tonnes in India. These garments biodegrade naturally, with Ecobold fibres breaking down 85% in 600 days, similar to wool’s 71% in the same period,” he elaborated further.
EcoGold addresses the 8 million tonnes of textile waste India produces annually, with the fibre decomposing by 85% within 600 days, far outpacing conventional polyesters that take decades to break down.
Superfeel Technology
The presentation then introduced Superfeel, their finest polyester fibre innovation, designed to dramatically improve the tactile experience of polyester-based garments. Unlike the industry-standard 1.2 or 1.4 denier polyester fibres, Superfeel uses an ultra-fine 0.7 denier fibre. This reduction in denier significantly enhances the softness of the material, making it feel smoother to the touch and comparable to natural fibres like modal.
Sharma explained, “This technology allows brands to create blends with other fibres like modal, yet the final product feels like 100% modal, providing a high-end feel at a lower cost. This is especially valuable for brands looking to improve the affordability of their product ranges without compromising on quality.”
Kotlucas Technology
Kotlucas addresses the growing demand for cotton-like alternatives in the textile industry. As the Indian textile market is projected to grow from $165 billion to $350 billion by 2030, there is an increasing fibre demand, which will require innovations in man-made fibres due to limited growth in cotton production. The current fibre consumption in India stands at around 12-13 million tons annually, with an equal split between cotton and man-made fibres such as viscose, nylon, and polyester. By 2030, the fibre requirement is expected to reach 20 million tons, and most of this additional demand will need to be met by man-made fibres.
Kotlucas is one of the company’s responses to this challenge, designed to offer the look and feel of cotton but using polyester. By modifying the polyester polymer, Kotlucas has removed the traditional sheen and lustre associated with polyester, giving the fabric a more natural, matte appearance and a hand feel that closely mimics cotton.
Three-in-One Innovation
The presentation also focussed on an upcoming breakthrough product that combines three technologies into one: recycled polyester, Kotlucas, and CoolTex. This yet-to-be-named Three-in-One Fiber is positioned as a multi-functional fabric with both sustainability and performance benefits.
- Recycled Polyester: It supports sustainability efforts, helping brands reduce their environmental impact by using recycled materials.
- Kotlucas: It Offers the look and feel of cotton, making it an ideal cotton alternative with the added benefit of being more sustainable.
- CoolTex: The key feature of CoolTex is its permanent moisture management capability, which is made possible by its specially designed cross-section. This feature enables the fibre to absorb sweat efficiently, transport it to the outer surface of the fabric, and then spread it across the fabric for faster evaporation.
SmartX: High-Performance Innovation
Sharma also highlighted the SmartX, a cutting-edge innovation in performance fabrics, featuring graphene-infused yarns that offer a four-in-one advantage: cool-to-touch properties, antimicrobial effects, UV protection, and anti-static characteristics. SmartX technology, tested with Qmax, ensures these performance claims are consumer-validated. Already being launched in the denim sector, SmartX is poised to enter knitwear, broadening its impact on the fashion industry.
Fabric Certification and Marketing Tools
R|Elan™ places high importance on fabric testing and certification as part of its value chain, offering brands assurance of quality and performance. The presentation outlined how fabric samples undergo rigorous tests before certification, which is crucial for brand partners aiming to provide verifiable product claims. Additionally, R|Elan™ has introduced QR-coded hangtags, which serve as an effective marketing tool in retail spaces. By scanning these codes, consumers can access videos that detail the fabric’s technology, making the in-store experience both informative and engaging.
Consumer Engagement: Fashion Meets Functionality
R|Elan™ is keen on educating consumers about the benefits of sustainable fashion, combining Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) collaborations with leading designers and consumer-centric marketing initiatives. These partnerships are focused on showcasing how sustainability, functionality, and style can coexist harmoniously. Sharma specifically mentioned a partnership with designers who integrated R|Elan™’s Green Gold fabric into their collection. The collaboration communicated a clear message that fashion can be sustainable, functional, and still desirable.
This philosophy was also evident in the functional fabric innovations presented at LFW, where 70% of the collection revolved around denims featuring SmartX technology and sustainable fibres. The collaboration aimed to reinforce to consumers that environmentally responsible fashion doesn’t compromise comfort or performance.
Circular Design Challenge: A Platform for Innovation
Launched in collaboration with the United Nations in 2018, the Circular Design Challenge (CDC) has quickly become one of India’s most prestigious sustainability awards. The initiative provides young designers with a platform to showcase innovations in a circular fashion, promoting designs that emphasise reuse, recycling, and reduced waste.
“Last year, CDC went global, with finalists from India, the Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the UK. The competition culminates in a grand finale, with winners receiving INR 20 lakh (USD 24,000) in seed funding, along with six months of mentorship in design, marketing, and finance. Next Thursday, we set the stage for this year’s finale, eagerly anticipating the victorious designer who will shape the future of fashion,” Sharma said.
The Earth Tee Initiative
In an effort to promote sustainability on a global stage, R|Elan™ launched the Earth Tee Initiative. Each year, prominent names like JJ Valaya and Anita Dongre transform recycled PET bottles into designer t-shirts through this project. Celebrities like John Abraham endorse these t-shirts on social media to raise awareness, and they release them on World Environment Day. The Earth Tee has become a symbolic gesture, promoting sustainable fashion choices and making eco-consciousness a trending topic.
As John Abraham put it, “I’m proud to wear one of the coolest, greenest t-shirts in the world, made entirely from recycled plastic bottles. Initiatives like this reduce the carbon footprint and make a real difference in combating climate change.”
Sharma concluded the presentation by inviting potential partners to engage in co-marketing and co-branding initiatives.
He stressed, “By working together, brands and R|Elan™ can amplify their message to consumers, making them aware of the sustainable and high-performance aspects of the fabrics they choose. From ensuring transparency with proper product claims to engaging consumers via influencers and celebrities, R|Elan™ continues to lead by example in the global textile landscape.”
“Fashion can be cool, sustainable, and high-performing, all at once. Through ongoing collaboration, R|Elan™ is helping brands and consumers alike make conscious, innovative fashion choices for a better tomorrow,” Sharma concluded on a strong note.
