India-EFTA TEPA win-win for both sides: Industry

During a webinar organised by the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) today, industry captains and major textile company heads opined that India and EFTA’s key member country Switzerland can supplement each other in the field of textiles.

Manoj Patodia Managing Partner, Patodia Overseas Exports, said in the webinar on “Enhancing Indo-Swiss Textile & Apparel trade” that the world is moving towards sustainability. Indian companies can get help from Swiss companies in this direction. Swiss companies have done a lot in sustainability and circularity in the textile value chain. He said that Indian companies have also taken several steps to minimise carbon footprint and save resources in textile processing.

Patodia emphasised on digital transformation of supply chain for sustainability. He said that Swiss companies can help Indian counterparts in digital transformation, which can not only reduce burden on resources but also reduce the cost of production.

Peter Fluckiger, Chairman of the Board, Swiss Textiles, said that sustainability is getting more focus today due to awareness for our environment. Swiss companies have developed technologies for recycling in the textile value chain. He said that the TEPA between India and EFTA is the perfect match and very beneficial for both nations.

Speaking about the benefits of the trade agreement, Fluckiger said that Indian textile companies will get access to the EFTA market with 100 per cent duty free waiver. EFTA companies will invest $100 billion in the next 15 years in India. He also mentioned that there are about 16 different types of certifications for sustainability in European Union.

Ashwin Chandran, Deputy Chairman, CITI, and CMD, Precot Ltd, said that the FTA has vast potential to increase bilateral trade. India is among the major suppliers of textile and apparel to Switzerland. He said that Indian companies can source specialised yarn for their need from Switzerland. Therefore, the trade agreement will prove to be a win-win for both countries.

Annabelle Hutter, Managing Director, Santis Textiles explained how her company Santis can help Indian companies to recycle old cloths into good quality fibre which can be used to produce textile products. She said that RCO100 is a sophisticated machine which can produce fibre from recyclable textile waste.

Wolfgang Haberl, Director- Sales, TextilColor told audience that his company provides solutions such as EcoBleach, Ecodye, EcoFix and EcoThren. These technologies provide solutions for textile processing in a sustainable manner. His company’s process saves water and other resources and provide better results.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)