H&M Foundation-backed Circularity Initiative Expands in India
Funded by the H&M Foundation, Saamuhika Shakti employs informal waste workers to collect and sort discarded clothing in 16 neighborhood sorting centers that feed diverted garments to a central textile recovery facility. Developed by the Circular Apparel Innovation Factory and implemented by waste picker advocacy organization Hasiru Dala, the project aims to divert 800,000 kilograms of post-consumer textile waste and support 500 waste picker livelihoods by 2026.
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So far, Saamuhika Shakti has achieved 55 percent of its waste diversion target and supported more than 400 waste pickers. Part of that success lies in the collaborative design of the project, where municipal authorities, NGOs and waste picker collectives jointly set the terms, ensuring shared ownership and long-term viability.
'What makes this model so powerful is that it's not a top-down solution—it has been co-created with waste pickers, who know the problem best,' said Maria Bystedt, program director at H&M Foundation. 'It proves that circularity isn't just about materials or recycling tech—it's about how we design systems that are inclusive, effective and climate-resilient.'
Textile waste is a huge problem in India. The country accounts for 8.5 percent of global textile waste or 7793 ktons, according to Fashion for Good. That waste can be broken into three categories: domestic post-consumer (51 percent), pre-consumer (42 percent) and imported post-consumer (7 percent).
According to Hasiru Dala, India's waste management is made up of two primary systems—formal and informal. The informal system is completely managed by waste pickers, waste sorters and waste traders, who comb landfills and other waste collection facilities for recyclable materials. Waste pickers often are women and children, and particularly in landfills, they work in extremely difficult conditions due to the elements and risk of contamination from garbage and make very little money.
Saamuhika Shakti aims to change that by empowering those waste pickers to improve their working conditions while also raising their profile as essential components of a circular economy.
The Saamuhika Shakti project has received more than $20 million in funding from the H&M Foundation in two phases. Along with the foundation, the Circular Apparel Innovation Factory and Hasiru Dala, the initiative has received additional support from Bal Raksha Bharat, BBC Media Action, Sambhav Foundation, Sattva Consulting, Social Alpha, Sparsha Trust, Udhyam Learning Foundation and WaterAid India.
Bystedt said that the key to Saamuhika Shakti's success lies in the workers who've been given agency through the project to improve their work conditions and economic standing.
'We're seeing that when waste pickers are recognized as essential climate actors, cities can build solutions that scale and inspire new models of inclusive circularity globally,' she said.
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