Pable, an Indonesian startup focusing on textile waste management, introduced the Sustainable Circular Textile programme with circular economy as its main concept. As the fashion industry continues to grow and thrive, it generates an estimated 92 million tonnes of textile waste each year.

Pable claimed this programme as a sustainable solution to waste management issues in the fashion industry. Unlike the long-established linear economy that is often summarised by the "take, make, waste” process, circular economy refers to a more restorative, regenerative and responsible production process, where waste can be turned into resources or raw materials in accordance with the closed-loop system.

“In terms of capacity, Pable could regenerate 6,000 tonnes of textile waste each month. However, as of now, we are only able to recycle 30% of our monthly capacity. This is seen as one of the challenges for us,” said Pable founder Aryendra Atma.

“Unfortunately, only 20% of our recycled textile waste is used domestically. We exported 80% of the textile waste to other countries that have regulations on recycled content. For instance, in Europe, all products are required to contain at least 30% recycled materials,” she added. 

Aryendra explained that 98% of textile waste that Pable recycles is pre-consumer waste, stating that the company might need further research and development to regenerate post-consumer waste as the process is more complex and tricky. Therefore, right now, to support efforts to minimise waste from the fashion industry, Pable focuses more on educating the public about the circular fabric ecosystem for a sustainable economy.

“We want the public to know that textile waste will no longer be considered as waste if we could recycle it properly,” Aryendra stated.