Every year, more than 110 million tonnes of apparel and textile fibres are produced, leading to high amounts of waste that end up either being incinerated or disposed of in landfills. These textiles can take up to 200 years to decompose in landfills. Having researched on waste fabric, one teenager has stepped up to upcycle textile waste to reduce its environmental impact.
During the pandemic-induced lockdown, Sameera Jalan, a 16-year-old from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, chose to empower rural women utilising their sewing skills. “When I was walking around in my neighbourhood one day, I saw a woman being mistreated by her husband. She was begging him to take her back,” she says, adding this incident left an indelible mark on her.
After having pondered over it for a while, Sameera realised if the girls in the villages were independent and had a source of income. She then spoke to the children of domestic help whose education was affected by the pandemic and found out they had a…