Saheb Fibre shifts from cotton to recycled polyester fibre in India’s Saurashtra region

Breaking away from the traditional path of cotton ginners setting up spinning mills, Gujarat-based Saheb Fibre has entered the recycling space by converting post-consumer PET bottles into recycled polyester staple fibres. The company, founded by Sandip Patel’s family, began its cotton trade journey in 2010 at the Rajkot Marketing Yard and later established a ginning unit in 2013.

With growing environmental awareness and rising demand for sustainable textiles, the company, led by Sandip Patel, decided to enter fibre manufacturing. Recognising that spinning mills required significant capital investment, Patel saw recycling PET bottles into polyester fibre as a more cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative that aligned with emerging industry trends.

Saheb Fibre sources PET bottles via agents across cities, cleans and flake them, and then converts them into polyester staple fibres of various cut lengths and deniers. Launched in 2024 with a 60 tons-per-day capacity, the company now produces 80 tons daily, employing 550 staff across two shifts. Their products carry certifications including ISO, BIS, and GRS.

Patel highlighted the environmental impact: the daily output reduces 130 tons of carbon dioxide emissions compared to virgin fibre. With EU regulations pushing recycled content, he sees strong demand growth ahead for sustainable polyester fibre.