For decades, the global fashion industry has quietly depended on a small city in southern India. T-shirts, cotton basics, and knitwear worn by millions across the world often trace their origins back to Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu — a city known as India’s knitwear capital.

But a few years ago, the very industry that powered Tiruppur’s rise pushed it to the brink of collapse. A once-pristine river turned pitch black, factories shut down, and tens of thousands of workers suddenly found themselves without jobs.

What followed, however, is a rare story of industrial reinvention — one that shows how economic survival and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand.

Your favourite Zara T-shirt might have had a surprising role in this crisis.

Tiruppur supplies cotton clothes to major global brands like Zara, H&M, and Gap. The city’s thriving textile ecosystem — especially its dyeing and processing units — helped transform it into one of........

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