Panipat Shoddy Recycled Textile Wool Industry

Panipat is India's Wool City, home to a unique industrial ecosystem that imports used woollen clothing from Europe, North America, and Japan, shreds the garments into fibre, re-spins it into yarn, and weaves the recycled shoddy into affordable blankets, shawls, and floor carpets sold across India and exported to Africa and the Middle East. Over 60 percent of India's second-use blanket production comes from Panipat's cluster of 300-plus mills in the Sector 25 and GT Road industrial areas. The shoddy industry provides livelihoods to 200,000 workers including rag pickers, sorters, shredder operators, spinners, and weavers, and processes an estimated 100,000 tonnes of used textiles annually.