MuddleArt | Pre-Consumer Textile Waste Management

MuddleArt | Pre-Consumer Textile Waste Management

Waste Recovery

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 1 – No Poverty, SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities, SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG 13 – Climate Action, SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals, SDG 5 – Gender Equality, SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG 9 – Industry Innovation and Infrastructure

Company Overview

MuddleArt is a New Delhi based company that manages pre-consumer textile waste generated during apparel manufacturing. Founded in 2019 by Sanjay Chauhan and Ruby Khan, the company was established to address the informal and largely unregulated handling of factory textile waste in India.

MuddleArt collects pre-consumer textile waste directly from garment and apparel factories, then sorts and channels it to a network of recyclers and upcyclers. The company positions itself as a formal, structured alternative to the informal waste economy that has historically handled this material, and it works to integrate waste workers into a documented, traceable system.

Alongside physical waste collection, MuddleArt has built a digital tracking layer that lets client brands and manufacturers follow their waste from factory dispatch through to its eventual recycling or upcycling destination. This traceability layer supports sustainability disclosures, including reporting formats aligned with India’s Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) framework.

The company operates primarily within India’s textile and apparel manufacturing hubs, working with apparel brands, garment manufacturers and a network of downstream recycling and upcycling partners. It has been recognised through several Indian innovation and impact programs focused on waste management and the circular economy.

Why These SDGs Matter

MuddleArt’s work directly connects textile waste handling to income generation for waste workers, supporting SDG 1 and SDG 8 by formalising livelihoods that were previously part of the informal economy. Its stated focus on integrating marginalised workers, including women, into a documented system relates to SDG 5 and SDG 10. SDG 9 is relevant because the company is building structured, technology enabled infrastructure in a sector that historically lacked one. SDG 11 applies through the reduction of textile waste dumped in and around urban settlements. SDG 12 is central to the business, since diverting manufacturing waste from landfill into recycling and upcycling is MuddleArt’s core function. SDG 13 follows from the carbon emissions avoided by processing waste rather than sending it to landfill or incineration. SDG 17 reflects the company’s stated partnerships with industry bodies, accelerators and government programs supporting its model.

Recommendation: None. The SDGs above are drawn directly from those the company associates itself with on its own site.

Products & Services
  • Pre-consumer textile waste collection from factories
  • Waste sorting and grading for recycling and upcycling
  • Redistribution of sorted waste to recycler and upcycler partners
  • Digital waste traceability dashboard for clients
  • BRSR-aligned sustainability and waste reporting
  • Carbon footprint analysis linked to waste diversion
Business Challenges Solved
  • Unmanaged pre-consumer textile waste accumulating at factories
  • Lack of traceability over where factory waste ends up
  • Reliance on informal, unregulated waste handling networks
  • Difficulty compiling BRSR-aligned sustainability disclosures
  • Textile waste being sent to landfill instead of being recycled
  • Need for a waste management partner that scales from small to large waste volumes
Approach & Methodology

MuddleArt’s model is built around three linked functions: collection, traceable processing, and reporting. The company collects pre-consumer textile waste, meaning offcuts and material generated during garment manufacturing rather than post-use consumer waste, directly from factory floors. This waste is then sorted at MuddleArt’s own facility according to material type and quality before being routed to an established network of recycling and upcycling partners.

A digital tracking system underpins the operational process, recording the waste from the point of factory dispatch through sorting to its final destination with a downstream partner. This is intended to give client brands and manufacturers documented visibility into what happens to their waste, rather than relying on informal, undocumented disposal chains.

The company also works to bring informal waste workers into a structured employment framework, describing itself as the first textile waste management company registered with the Delhi Labour Welfare Board. On the reporting side, MuddleArt compiles waste diversion and estimated carbon emissions data for clients in a format intended to support BRSR disclosures, and has stated it is working to expand into broader carbon emissions accounting.

Market Position

MuddleArt operates in India’s pre-consumer textile waste segment, working with apparel brands and garment manufacturers that need to dispose of factory offcuts and production waste. Its primary customers are manufacturing units and brands seeking a documented, formal alternative to informal waste channels. The company differentiates itself through its digital traceability system and its stated registration with the Delhi Labour Welfare Board, positioning itself as a structured, accountable operator in a segment historically dominated by informal intermediaries. It has been recognised by several Indian innovation and social impact programs focused on waste management.

Procurement Considerations
  • Confirm waste collection coverage in the client’s specific manufacturing location
  • Review the digital traceability dashboard’s reporting format against internal ESG requirements
  • Clarify handling capacity relative to the client’s monthly waste volume
  • Verify alignment of reporting outputs with BRSR or other applicable disclosure frameworks
  • Confirm onboarding timeline for setting up a collection arrangement
  • Request documentation on downstream recycler and upcycler partners
  • Assess contractual terms for waste ownership and liability once collected
Funding, Recognition & Ecosystem
  • Seed funding round, with investor participation reported to include Social Alpha and GreenStitch.io
  • Top 30, Cleanovation Startups 2022, supported by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (India) and Agence Française de Développement
  • Top 5, Techtonic Innovations in Waste Management 2022, supported by Social Alpha and the H&M Foundation
  • Top 7, EPAM Social Impact Innovation Program 2022, supported by AIC-IIITH
  • Top 15, Green Growth Accelerator and Foundry 2022, supported by Acumen Academy
  • Registered with the Delhi Labour Welfare Board as a textile waste management company
  • Featured in Fashion for Good’s “Sorting for Circularity” report
  • Featured in Shahi Exports’ FY2021 Sustainability Report
Natnavi Analysis

MuddleArt operates in a part of the circular economy that receives comparatively little attention relative to consumer facing textile recycling: pre-consumer waste generated inside factories during apparel production. India generates a substantial volume of this waste annually, and much of it has historically moved through informal, opaque channels with limited accountability. MuddleArt’s attempt to formalise this flow, pairing physical collection with a digital traceability layer, addresses a genuine gap for brands and manufacturers under growing pressure to document their supply chain impacts.

The company’s recognition across multiple Indian innovation and impact programs, along with its registration with a state labour welfare board, suggests some external validation of its model within India’s startup and impact ecosystem. Its reported partnerships with organisations such as Social Alpha and the H&M Foundation situate it within a recognised network of circular economy initiatives.

At the same time, publicly available information on MuddleArt’s scale, financials and operational footprint outside North India is limited, and much of what is available originates from the company’s own materials rather than independent verification. For procurement teams evaluating MuddleArt, direct engagement to confirm current capacity, geographic reach and reporting specifics is advisable given the limited third-party documentation currently available.

Sources & References
Website
Founded: 2019
Company Stage: Startup
Headquarters
New Delhi, Delhi, India
Geographic Presence
MuddleArt is based in New Delhi and operates primarily within India’s textile and apparel manufacturing belt, working with factories and brands that generate pre-consumer waste. Its downstream network of recycling and upcycling partners is also India based. The company’s public materials describe a presence concentrated in North India, with no confirmed operations outside the country.
Solution Type
Service Provider, Technology Provider
Sustainability Outcomes
Carbon Reduction, Circular Economy, Resource Efficiency, Waste Reduction
Industries Served
Manufacturing, Retail & Consumer Goods

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