About the Author
Rohit Joshi is the Chief Operating Officer and Vertical Head – Apparel, Home, Footwear & Accessories at Impulse International Pvt. Ltd., leading strategy, marketing, merchandising, and operations. He is BSL-Council Director Sustainability, Rohit stands as the elected leader, carrying forward a shared mission and responsibility.
With over a decade of experience managing businesses exceeding USD 75 million, he is widely regarded as one of the most modest personalities in the textile industry combining humility, politeness, and people-centric leadership with sharp, visionary insights that drive sustainable and future-ready growth.
Sustainability Growth in India’s Apparel & Textile Industry
“Bridging the Gap Between Commitment and Measurable Impact”
A Sector in Transition
India’s apparel and textile industry stands at a pivotal crossroads. Sustainability adoption is steadily increasing, propelled by global ESG compliance norms, evolving export requirements, and heightened brand accountability. Yet, the pace and depth of progress remain inconsistent. For many stakeholders, sustainability is still perceived as a regulatory obligation rather than a strategic growth lever.
While policies and frameworks are in place, execution on the ground remains fragmented. Critical challenges persist across last-mile implementation, MSME participation, reliable data transparency, and traceability beyond Tier 1. Social impact indicators particularly those concerning worker well-being, skill development, and artisan livelihoods continue to lack standardized measurement and scalable deployment models. Circularity, water stewardship, and waste-to-value initiatives exist, but largely in isolated pockets, limiting their cumulative impact.
It is within this context that Global Outreach Summit 2.0 by Brands & Sourcing Leaders Association emerges as a crucial platform—bringing industry, policymakers, solution providers, and global stakeholders together to accelerate structured sustainability adoption across the value chain.
Brand and Sourcing: The Strategic Levers of Change
Sustainability transformation begins at the brand and sourcing interface, where design choices, supplier engagement, costing models, and procurement decisions shape long-term impact. Despite growing awareness, many sustainability efforts remain compartmentalized, focusing on compliance audits rather than systemic value creation.
Traceability beyond Tier 1 remains inconsistent, particularly across decentralized supply chains and MSME clusters. Supplier engagement varies widely, often limited by cost pressures and lack of shared investment models. Environmental performance indicators frequently overshadow social metrics, resulting in underinvestment in workforce welfare, community resilience, and skill enhancement.
Circularity continues to face structural barriers, including limited recycling infrastructure, insufficient adoption of recyclable design principles, and weak integration of post-consumer waste streams. Without collaborative ownership from brands, suppliers remain constrained in their ability to invest in clean technologies and low-impact manufacturing processes.
Recognizing these realities, Global Outreach Summit 2.0 by Brands & Sourcing Leaders Association is positioned to drive meaningful dialogue, foster strategic partnerships, and convert sustainability intent into scalable action.
Learning from Regional Leaders: Collaboration as a Growth Multiplier
Neighboring manufacturing economies such as Bangladesh and Vietnam demonstrate how structured coordination can accelerate sustainability progress. Their success lies in cluster-based compliance ecosystems, factory-level certification programs, and buyer-backed infrastructure investments. Public-private partnerships in wastewater treatment, renewable energy, and recycling facilities illustrate how collective solutions reduce financial burdens while enhancing environmental performance.
These examples highlight a fundamental principle: sustainability thrives when responsibility is shared and execution is collective. Platforms such as Global Outreach Summit 2.0 by Brands & Sourcing Leaders Association provide India with a strategic opportunity to adopt similar collaborative frameworks tailored to domestic supply chain realities.
BSL’s Commitment: From Vision to Execution
As Council Director – Sustainability & Good Earth at BSL, my mission is anchored in converting sustainability from a conceptual ambition into operational reality. BSL acts as a convergence point—aligning policy intent, industry capability, and innovation expertise to deliver practical roadmaps, real-world pilot projects, and accessible knowledge platforms.
Our focus remains firmly on people-first sustainability, climate-resilient supply chains, and inclusive development models that empower MSMEs, manufacturers, and artisan communities alike. Through industry engagement, data-driven frameworks, and collaborative ecosystems, BSL is committed to enabling businesses of all sizes to embed sustainability into their core growth strategies.
The integration of these objectives within Global Outreach Summit 2.0 by Brands & Sourcing Leaders Association further strengthens the collective drive toward responsible, future-ready industry transformation.
The Road Ahead: Building India’s Global Sustainability Leadership
To remain globally competitive, sustainability must evolve from a peripheral initiative into a central sourcing mandate. This requires accelerated investment in digital traceability systems, circular infrastructure, renewable energy integration, and harmonized sustainability metrics aligned with international standards.
India possesses the scale, capability, and innovation potential to lead global textile sustainability. What is now required is unified action, shared accountability, and execution-driven collaboration. Through strategic platforms like Global Outreach Summit 2.0 by Brands & Sourcing Leaders Association, the industry can collectively shape a future that balances competitiveness with responsibility—delivering tangible outcomes for people, planet, and long-term sector resilience.