The fashion industry produces as many global carbon emissions as aviation. Bartanwali is an app that allows residents of Patna (a city in north India) to sell, exchange, or donate old clothes to the urban poor, who then repair and resell the clothes. The app tackles the problem of carbon emissions by facilitating the recycling and reusing of old clothes, while also reducing poverty by generating livelihoods for the least privileged.
The app was created by a team that includes residents of Kamla Nehru Nagar slum in Patna along with faculty and students from the Indian Institute of Technology, Patna; Patna University; and Johns Hopkins University.
Background
Patna, like many north Indian cities, has a long tradition of textile recycling. The “bartanwali,” literally the lady with the pots, goes door to door offering to exchange steel utensils for old clothes. The old clothes are then washed, repaired, and sold in small stalls on footpaths, railway stations, or other markets.
This tradition is endangered today because newer apartment buildings do not allow entry to vendors, for security reasons. There is also a limit on the number of those willing or able to do this job, as it requires the vendor to walk for hours carrying several pounds on her head and on her back, wandering the streets calling for customers’ attention. Temperatures in north India can exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit, calling the work to a halt.
At the same time, the need for textile recycling is increasing: as cities in developing countries become wealthier, consumers will purchase and discard more clothing, and as environmental consciousness rises, consumers are showing more interest in recycled clothes. The global market for recycled apparel is worth nearly $200 billion, and is growing rapidly.
The Bartanwali app allows a newer generation of consumers and vendors to connect. The app obviates the need for the vendor to walk around with heavy supplies, allowing her to go directly to the pickup spot instead. This means many more people will be able and willing to do this job, and can meet the coming increase in both supply of discarded clothing and demand for recycled clothes.