“Sustainability and everyday clothing can go hand in hand”: Kapil Bhatia, Founder & CEO of UNIREC

What if plastic waste could be transformed into something as functional and stylish as everyday clothing? While plastic bottles are known to take hundreds of years to decompose, innovative brands are now reimagining waste as a resource. Sustainable fashion in India is gaining momentum, and UNIREC is leading the way by turning recycled PET bottles into high-quality, wearable garments.

In this insightful conversation, Kapil Bhatia, Founder & CEO of UNIREC, shares the story behind building a sustainable clothing brand rooted in purpose and innovation. What began as a simple question soon evolved into a mission-driven venture focused on recycled fabric clothing, environmental responsibility with a vision of circular fashion. From overcoming the challenges of creating a reliable sustainable supply chain in India to reshaping perceptions around eco-friendly fashion, his journey reflects resilience, vision and impact.

This Q&A explores the future of sustainable apparel, highlighting how brands can integrate ethical fashion practices, reduce plastic waste, and still deliver on style and comfort. It offers valuable insights for entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and conscious consumers looking to understand how recycled fashion can drive both business success and environmental change.

How did you come about with the idea of UNIREC?

The idea behind UNIREC actually came from a very simple but powerful moment. I have been in the garment industry for more than two decades, and during one of the business exhibitions a potential client asked if we could manufacture uniforms made from recycled PET. That question stayed with me.

Around the same time, there was a growing global conversation about plastic pollution and climate change. I remember my son once mentioning a prediction that by 2050 there could be more plastic in the oceans than fish. That really made me think about the responsibility we have as manufacturers.

So I started researching and realized that in Europe, recycled plastic fabrics were already being used to make clothing. That is when the idea of creating a sustainable clothing brand in India began to take shape.

UNIREC was born with a simple mission: to turn waste into wearable fashion and show that sustainability and everyday clothing can go hand in hand.

Please tell about the journey to build this unique brand

Building up UNIREC has been quite an adventure. Prior to launching this brand, I had founded a company that dealt with the manufacturing of uniforms for corporates. Although this helped me familiarize myself with the industry, it was relatively difficult to come into the realm of sustainable fashion in India.

After launching our brand in 2021, we started with a rather small order, specifically, T-shirts made from fabric derived from 500 recycled plastic bottles for a corporate client. Subsequently, we gradually began expanding our product range to include jackets, trousers, shirts, and other apparel items made from recycled materials.

Customer responses have become increasingly positive, largely due to growing awareness about the environmental issues associated with fashion.

Can you describe the process of transforming a discarded bottle into a finished garment?

The entire process is very interesting. First, plastic bottles are collected from different places. Then, these bottles are segregated according to color and properly washed to eliminate any form of contamination.

After washing, the bottles are shredded into tiny bits. They are heated and processed into fiber, which is further spun into yarn, from which fabrics are made. From this fabric, different types of clothes can be cut and fashioned, such as T-shirts, jackets, and pants.

UNIREC works with suppliers who have been certified under the Global Recycled Standard (GRS). In other words, all the recycled materials at UNIREC are of premium quality and meet environmental norms. As a matter of fact, one garment that is produced contributes to recycling of around 10 to 12 plastic bottles.

How do you ensure that sustainability and style go hand in hand?

A myth surrounding sustainable clothing is the assumption that it cannot be trendy and comfortable. Here at UNIREC, however, our core belief is that sustainability and style must go hand in hand.

We design clothes to suit your needs no matter where you are going, whether going to work or taking a coffee break at your favorite café. We take great pains to ensure that our clothes not only look good but feel comfortable and durable.

In essence, we want people to select our products simply because they look good and are comfortable.

What were the toughest challenges you faced while building a sustainable supply chain?

The primary obstacle in making sustainable fashion happen is establishing a credible supply chain. The process of recycling plastic into cloth needs a specific infrastructure, verified sources, and quality management.

It was difficult in the initial phase to find such partners that can fulfill the requirements on a regular basis. Moreover, another problem was to balance sustainability with cost-effectiveness since consumers view sustainable products as costly.

However, as the ecosystem around recycled materials evolved, there have been improvements. We currently collaborate with credible partners that follow international standards and contribute to our quality and sustainability.

How has working with women artisans shaped the brand’s impact story?

Collaborating with women artisans has taken the concept of sustainability on a whole different level. The Project Sundri initiative enables us to work with women artisans who recycle returned/uniform UNIREC garments to produce useful goods like pouches and accessories.

Through this project, we are able to not only address the issue of fabric waste but also provide means of earning a living for these women artisans. Thus, sustainability becomes more of a human effort through this initiative.

What misconceptions about eco-friendly clothing would you like to challenge?

The biggest misconception is that sustainable fashion has to be expensive. The truth is that, done right on a larger scale, sustainable fashion doesn’t have to be very costly at all.

Another misconception is that recycled fabrics are of poor quality. People are often amazed by how much our clothes feel just like any other cloth fabric soft, breathable and durable.

Sustainability doesn’t have to mean sacrifice. It has to mean intelligent decision-making.

What’s next for UNIREC in terms of growth and innovation?

Our vision is that of developing a fully circular fashion label, in which we produce goods that are made from recycled products and, in turn, can themselves be recycled once they become redundant.

Another aim of ours is to diversify the line of items we sell, as well as research sustainable alternatives and other lifestyle categories in order to ensure that we achieve greater impacts in years to come.

What advice would you give to young entrepreneurs who want to build purpose-driven brands?

Firstly, my suggestion is to begin with a true purpose. If your purpose is real, it is bound to resonate with your audience.

Secondly, one needs to be patient. It takes time to build a brand that focuses on its true purpose since you are not simply selling a product but changing the way people think and act.

Lastly, one needs to solve a real-life problem. For example, at the beginning of our journey, we faced a big environmental problem with plastics but managed to find a solution to it by transforming the waste.