A Mountain of Textile Waste
7.8Mtonnes / year, India
Most is landfilled or burned, despite retaining real material value. Landfill overflow, greenhouse gases, and a textile industry that has yet to close its loop.
Weaving Futures
Turning WasteInto Worth.Engineering the futurebeyond plastic.
A circular materials company converting discarded textile waste into high-performance, biodegradable alternatives to plastic, starting with retail mannequins.
7.8M
tonnes textile waste / yr in India
≈20 kg
waste per mannequin
100%
biodegradable composite
25+
national platforms recognised
Scroll, the transformation begins
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01The Problem
Two crises. One industry. Zero solutions, until now.
A Retail Industry Built on Plastic
Microplasticsshed for years, un-recyclable
Plastic and fiberglass mannequins remain in circulation for years, shed microplastics throughout their lifecycle, and eventually end up exactly where textile waste does.
"Both our founders witnessed India's textile waste problem firsthand, from opposite ends of the supply chain. One saw landfills near Assam piling up with fabric that never got a second life, making an impact on the lives of those who did not even create it. The other, growing up in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, the Manchester of South India, watched textile waste dumped straight into rivers, clogging waterways several communities depended on. Two cities, one broken system, and the shared motivation behind Stitch Zero."
02Our Solution
One industry's waste, becomes another's infrastructure.
Stitch Zero converts discarded textile waste into a proprietary biodegradable composite, engineered to replace plastic across multiple applications.
01
Collect
Textile waste sourced directly from manufacturers and garment units.
02
Process
Sorted, cleaned, shredded, and converted into a clean, workable textile pulp.
03
Engineer
Bound with a proprietary natural composite chemistry for a durable, high-performance material.
04
Mold
Shaped into finished, market-ready commercial forms and fixtures.
03First Product
Biodegradable Retail Mannequins.
Each Stitch Zero mannequin uses approximately 20 kg of textile waste, offering a high-performance visual display that doesn't force a trade-off between environmental responsibility and commercial performance.
✓Fully biodegradable
✓Free of microplastic pollution
✓Lightweight and commercially durable
✓Aesthetically premium for retail
✓Competitively priced vs plastic
✓~20 kg textile waste per unit
04Material Platform
The real innovation isn't the mannequin. It's the material platform underneath it.
Most textile recycling downcycles waste into lower-value products. We do the opposite, a high-value composite whose structural, mechanical, and aesthetic properties can be tuned across industries by adjusting the formulation.
- Retail Mannequins
- Sustainable Packaging
- Furniture
- Interior Decor
- Engineered Boards
- Retail Fixtures
05Why we're different
Tackling textile waste and plastic dependency as one unified problem.
Plastic mannequin manufacturers
Continue relying on virgin plastics
Materials →
Stitch Zero
Replace plastics entirely with waste-derived composites
Conventional textile recyclers
Downcycle into low-value products
Value model →
Stitch Zero
Upcycle into a high-value engineered platform
Bioplastic companies
Depend on virgin agricultural feedstocks
Feedstock →
Stitch Zero
Depend entirely on existing waste streams
06Market opportunity
Accelerating demand in a multi-billion dollar market.
$0.00B USD
Retail and fashion display segment (2024)
$0.00B USD
Projected mannequin market size by 2030
0.00M tonnes
Textile waste generated annually in India
07Beyond Mannequins
This innovation can take more forms than mannequins.
🦿
Orthotics & Prosthetics
Affordable, customized orthotics and prosthetics with reduced material costs, developed in partnership with Project Aavaran.
📦
Packaging & Protective Materials
Biodegradable boxes, inserts, trays, and protective alternatives to thermocol and styrofoam.
🏭
Industrial & Specialty Applications
Eco-friendly insulation panels and industrial packaging substitutes for styrofoam and MDF boards.
🏠
Home & Lifestyle Products
Planters, organizers, decorative figures, and home decor items made from textile waste.
08Impact ecosystem
Every mannequin cascades into a wider systemic effect.
Environmental
- Textile waste diverted from landfills
- Plastic mannequins displaced from the supply chain
- Reduced microplastic pollution
- Lower carbon emissions
- Reduced dependency on virgin plastic
Economic
- Converts discarded material into commercial value
- Lowers raw material costs for adopters
- Enables sustainable procurement at scale
- Strengthens circular manufacturing infrastructure
Social
- Supports cleaner, healthier communities
- Encourages responsible production practices
- Strengthens local manufacturing ecosystems
- Drives broader circular economy adoption
09UN Sustainable Development Goals
Aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Reducing the water pollution and contamination linked to textile waste dumping and burning.
Building a manufacturing model that supports local jobs and circular supply chains.
Turning discarded textile waste into a valuable industrial input instead of landfill or ash.
Reducing emissions associated with virgin plastic production and textile waste incineration.
10Where we are today
From concept validation into active pilot testing.
Completed Phase
- ✓Extensive market and material research
- ✓Industry analysis and business model validation
- ✓Stakeholder conversations with retailers and sustainability professionals
- ✓Development of proprietary composite concept
- ✓Dispatch of first-phase pilot mannequins for durability and strength testing
Next Phase
- Evaluation of durability and strength test results
- Composite formulation optimization
- Additional pilot deployments with retail partners
- Commercial validation and scale-up
11Recognition
Shortlisted and selected by industry leaders.
25+ National & International Recognitions
Across premier IITs and IIMs
Mentored by Climate VCs
Sustainability and climate investors
8+ Incubator Shortlists
Including NSRCEL at IIM Bangalore
Recognised at 25+ platforms
SIIB
IIIT Delhi
Katha VC
SIIB
IIIT Delhi
Katha VC
Shortlisted for 8+ incubators
12The Team
Founded and built by two undergraduate students at SRCC, University of Delhi.
Between them, they lead the company's business strategy, partnerships, and fundraising alongside material innovation, product development, and manufacturing optimization. Stitch Zero has earned over INR 1 lakh through grants, prizes, and early product deployment, proving the market pays for what we build. We scale by outsourcing collection and transformation to trusted aggregators while deepening relationships with major fashion display and visual merchandising brands.
Co-founder
Hemavarshini S
Business Strategy, Partnerships, Fundraising
varshinishema@gmail.com+91 9789777125
Co-founder
Ayush Sinha
Material Innovation, Product Development, Manufacturing
sinhaayush643@gmail.com+91 9318355472