Environmental Impact

An extremely sensitive ecology, the high Himalayas are repositories of glaciers, from which originate the major river systems that sustain South Asia. They are home to rare flora and fauna not found anywhere else. The communities dwelling in these mountains have traditionally depended on nature for their survival and livelihood. 

 

Today, from mountains and glaciers to vegetation, wildlife, and people, the Himalayas face threats from human excesses. At ZERO WASTE LADAKH, we are particularly troubled by the havoc created by the waste in the Himalayas. 

 

Choosing not to be bystanders, we work on recovering and reusing tailor waste, a highly devalued material in the waste management sector. Although the textile industry is one of the top global polluters of the environment, textile waste does not hold much value compared to other waste materials, like plastic. Of all the forms of textile waste, the least valued is tailor waste, which is the fabric scraps generated at tailor shops from garment-cutting. This waste is managed by landfilling, incineration, dumping, or burning in the open. We focus on recovering and reusing this tailor waste to prevent it from polluting the environment and to give it a new life as upcycled products made by the local community for their income generation.