India generates 9.3 million tonnes (Mt) of plastic waste annually, according to a 2024 study published in the journal Nature. That is equivalent to 7.75 lakh tonnes of plastic waste generated daily. To tackle this, our country has taken several steps to incentivise and promote awareness about recycling. Several individuals and organisations are taking this forward by giving discarded plastic a new life.

K Sankar, and his son, Senthil, for example, are recycling over 15 lakh bottles daily through their Tamil Nadu-based company, ‘Shree Renga Polymers’, while pioneering a creative approach to sustainable fashion through their clothing brand, ‘EcoLine’.

How do they do it?

To turn plastic waste into fashionable clothing, the father-son duo follow a process that can be broadly divided into five steps.