Barriers to adopting circular economy practices in Indian textile industries

The textile industry in India plays a substantial role in the economy; however, it is also recognised as one of the most environmentally polluting industries. Circular economy (CE) practices are key in overcoming this issue. However, developing countries like India face several barriers to adopting CE. It is crucial to prioritise CE implementation barriers and categorisation into cause-and-effect groups so that industries can focus on key barriers. However, the existing literature has overlooked it. The current study aims to fill this gap. The study reviewed existing literature to identify the barriers to CE in textile industries. An expert team validated the identified barriers. Further, the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) approach was employed to prioritise and categorise the identified barriers. Eleven barriers were identified as key to CE adoption in the Indian context. DEMATEL approach categorised six barriers as cause barriers (“Lack of Policies and Regulations”, “Lack of Awareness and Knowledge about CE Practices", "Limited Market for Recycled Materials and Products", "High Operational Cost”, “Lack of Infrastructural Facilities”, “Design for X”) and five as effect barriers (Lack of Economic Feasibility”, “Lack of Skilled workforce", "Lack of Awareness about Environmental Impact”, “Limited Tax Relief and Rewarding Policies”, and “Limited Recycling Technologies for Blended Fabrics”). Notably, “lack of economic feasibility" emerges as a critical cause barrier, highlighting its prominence in hindering CE adoption in the textile industry. The current study's novelty is identifying key barriers to CE adoption in Indian textile industries with inter-relationships among the key barriers. In addition, the study provides various strategies to overcome cause barriers as they influence the effect barriers.