Modi’s message
1 min read . Updated: 09 Feb 2023, 12:11 AM IST
PremiumModi acting as the idea’s market ambassador, could stir curiosity and get trials. The jump that khadi clothes got after Modi’s promotion of them testifies to his influence
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Motion of Thanks to the President’s address in the Lok Sabha stood out for reasons beyond his oratory. On Wednesday, he wore a sky-blue jacket made from recycled PET bottles, presented to him by Indian Oil Corp. at the India Energy Week in Bengaluru earlier this week. The idea was to popularize the concept, and the company is reportedly recycling over 100 million PET bottles to make garments for its employees and Indian armed forces. Since plastic bottles are made of a polymer which yields a synthetic fibre that blends well with cotton to give us wearable poly-fabrics, turning used containers into clothes is an ideal way to deal with the mountains of PET waste we all generate, threatening streams, rivers and lakes with micro-pollutants. Modi acting as the idea’s market ambassador, could stir curiosity and get trials. The jump that khadi clothes got after Modi’s promotion of them testifies to his influence. PET recycling is not very cheap, so mass adoption of recycled polyester would be too much to expect. But it’s a good sign that environmental causes have begun to outweigh cost concerns for many consumers.
