New Delhi: Discarded X-ray sheets transformed into stylish dresses, bags stitched from retired Army uniforms, decor crafted from textile waste collected in Ladakh and used shoes refurbished for schoolchildren.These are among the innovative ideas on display at Weave the Future 4.0-Upcycling Edition, where waste in its many forms is being given a second life, sometimes as fashion, sometimes as utility and often with a larger social or environmental purpose.Organised by the Union Ministry of Textiles, the fourth edition of the platform showcases India’s journey towards sustainable and circular textiles. Running until July 17 at Dilli Haat, the exhibition brings together over 100 brands, artisans, recyclers, thrift collectives and innovators working in upcycling, recycling, repair and circular design.Among the more unusual creations is a dress made from discarded X-ray sheets. Agahmi founder Prachi Aggarwal said the brand experiments with unconventional waste materials to create garments. “We have used X-ray sheets to make dresses. Orange peels and wasted corn are also used to create fabric for garments,” she said. While the X-ray dress is priced at Rs 5,250, a garment made from orange-peel fabric costs Rs 3,800.Elsewhere, discarded footwear is finding its way back to schoolchildren in a new avatar. GreeSole Foundation collects old shoes, refurbishes them using waste material and donates them to children in need. “We completed 10 years this Environment Day and have served about 10 lakh students in a decade,” said Astha Pramanik, the foundation’s CSR and marketing manager.“As the shoes also have to look appealing to children, we ensure that they do and refurbish them using the waste material that we collect. In Delhi, we have a centre in Bawana where people can donate their old shoes“. She said the initiative had helped save 4,500 tonnes of carbon emissions.Military uniforms, too, are getting a second life. Vardi Ka Samman, an initiative of Sewaj Neesin Foundation, transforms uniforms donated by retired Indian Army personnel into bags, diaries, showpieces and laptop bags.For mother-daughter duo Soma and Raka Banerjee, leftover fabric from Soma’s Kolkata-based apparel brand became the starting point for Dui, which means “two” in Bangla. “We use leftover fabric and textile waste to make bookmarks, baskets, pouches, bags and notebooks, preventing the material from ending up in landfills,” Raka said.At The Nani Project, fabric scraps collected from local tailors are sorted, washed and hand-cut into thin strips before being spun on a charkha to create yarn and knitted into new products. “The project is a tribute to my grandmother. She was always knitting,” said Arshia.Other exhibitors are reimagining waste in equally varied ways. Bageeya transforms discarded temple flowers into natural dyes. Raas India converts post-production textile waste into lifestyle products, Cut-Putly works with post-consumer denim collected through exchange programmes, while Pitara UnboxCreativity creates bags and accessories from discarded textiles and other waste materials.The exhibition also turns the spotlight on reuse. Unneu, a re-commerce platform for pre-loved sarees, was born from founder and CEO Indrani Chowdhury’s own overflowing wardrobe. “I had hundreds of sarees myself. One day, I opened my wardrobe and many fell on my head. That is when I realised something needed to be done,” she said. The platform resells sarees for between Rs 1,000 and Rs 10,000, depending on their weave, condition and age, while also enabling women to function as micro-entrepreneurs.Similarly, Ex-Change by TRF allows people to donate clothes and receive Rs 50 in store value for every kilogram contributed.Union textiles minister Giriraj Singh, who visited the exhibition on Monday, said rising textile consumption made it imperative to strengthen circular economy practices, promote responsible production and scale innovative solutions that transform textile waste into valuable resources.Development commissioner for handlooms M Beena said the platform connects India’s handloom and craft heritage with innovation-led solutions for textile waste management. She said there was strong participation from young entrepreneurs that indicated a growing interest in sustainable consumption and resource efficiency.The event also features installations, demonstrations and workshops, including Marammat, organised in collaboration with Rafooghar, where participants use cutting, stitching, mending and layering to explore ideas of rupture, repair and resilience through fabric.