About
कातना to Respun is a social service project conducted by me, where old clothes are collected and sent for respinning. It gives a space for families to dispose of their old clothes in any condition, for better usage.
RETHINK. RECREATE. RESPIN.
कातना to Respun
A social service project collecting old clothes in any condition and delivering them to Respun for better usage, recycling, and responsible reuse.
Impact so far
3,000 kgs
Approximate clothes collected from The Doon School and Delhi NCR in the last year.
Aim
- Reduce the wastage of fashion cloth
- Reduce wastage of water
- Limit CO2 emissions
- Ensure most effective recycling and reusage of cloth
Why Should I Give Any Piece of Cloth?
- Donations do not always work because of sizing and quality issues
- Thrift stores do not accept all garments
- The water footprint is reduced when new garments are not produced
- Tattered and stained clothes are also accepted
- Undergarments can also be given
- Thrown clothes often end up in landfills
Economy Behind Recycling Clothes
Clothing recycling keeps valuable fabric in circulation, lowers resource pressure, and creates practical economic value across collection, sorting, fibre recovery, and reuse.
1
Idle Asset
Premium clothes become an idle economic asset in higher-income Indian households with time
2
Textile Waste
India generates 70.73 lakh tonnes of textile waste annually
3
Green Jobs
The textile recycling market could reach ₹334.25 billion by 2030 and create 1 lakh green jobs
4
Lower Input Costs
Recycling reduces costs and dependence on raw materials
5
Affordable Clothing
Recovered fibre can support affordable quality clothing and increase purchasing power
6
Water and Energy
Recycling conserves water and energy; one pair of jeans needs about 7,500 litres of water to produce
What is Done with the Cloth?
1
Collection
कातना helps in bulk collection through awareness
2
Sorting
According to colour, wearable condition, torn fabric, and other textile qualities.
3
Shredding
Buttons and zips are removed, then fabric is shredded into smaller pieces.
4
Recycling
Machines convert the material into new fibres.
5
Repurposed
Fibres are used for various practical purposes.
General Science Behind Recycling Cloth
Mechanical Recycling
Shredded fibers are put into a rotating cylinder and aligned parallelly to remove impurities. These fibers are twisted together to create recycled yarn and mixed with some materials to improve strength.
Chemical Recycling
Polyester or blended fabrics are dissolved at the molecular level. This mixture is filtered and passed through a spinneret which creates new synthetic fibers, matching the strength of the original materials.
Steps to be Taken by You
- 1. Wash, clean, and dry clothes
- 2. Fold and stack neatly
- 3. Pack in a box or bag
- 4. Handover to कातना
Founder
Avirat Jain
I am a high school student at The Doon School, Dehradun, and the idea for this initiative began last year when I saw how thoughtfully my school managed unwanted clothing. Rather than allowing clothes to go to waste, the school focused on reusing them wherever possible and disposing of them responsibly. This made me realise that textile waste is a problem that can be addressed through simple, organised action. I wanted to take this idea beyond my school and encourage more people to give old and unused clothes a new purpose. That is how कातना to Respun came to life.