The solution: Weaving global principles into local realities
Lindström’s expansion into Asia is about designing a circular economy model that resonates across vastly different cultural, economic, and infrastructural contexts. “We can’t copy-paste what worked in Europe,” says Chakrabarty. “We have to build something that belongs here.” That conviction underpins a deeply adaptive strategy, one that reshapes Lindström’s global model thread by thread, in close dialogue with local realities.
This starts with redefining what value means in markets where cost and ownership often dominate procurement decisions. In a region where shared textiles can still raise questions about hygiene, Chakrabarty and his teams focus on trust, not transactions. “Before we talk about sustainability, we talk about reliability,” he explains. That means investing in education, demonstrating consistent service quality, and allowing clients to experience circularity through pilots and tailored programs, not just presentations.
Lindström’s “glocal” approach (a conflation of local and global strategies) isn’t just a business model; it’s a system of co-creation. Local teams are empowered to assess customer expectations, shape service offerings, and inform regional investment decisions. In markets like India and China, this has meant co-designing rental solutions with healthcare clients and hospitality groups, aligning with industry-specific compliance needs, and making the invisible benefits of leasing tangible: reduced waste, fewer procurement headaches, and cleaner supply chains.
Partnerships are another essential thread in this strategy. Lindström actively engages with government authorities and local regulators, not just to comply with standards, but to help shape them. When provincial leaders or governmental authorities from different parts of Asia, like Jiaxing, Tianjin, and Suzhou, China, or Chennai, India, visit Lindström’s operations to explore circularity at scale, it marks more than a policy conversation; it signals that a new textile paradigm is gaining traction. “If we want the market to change, we have to be part of building the environment that makes that possible,” Chakrabarty reflects.
Technology plays a crucial supporting role. Radio-frequency identification (RFID)-tagged garments and digital dashboards allow clients to monitor textile usage, track washing cycles, and optimize stock. In a landscape where sustainability must also be smart, this data-driven visibility builds credibility and helps shift the narrative from cost to long-term value. In water-stressed areas, Lindström’s closed-loop water treatment systems reduce consumption by up to 56%, offering both environmental and operational returns.
But none of this is simple. The investments are high. The behavioral shifts take time. And the infrastructure challenges – from transport to waste collection – can’t be solved by any single company. That’s why Chakrabarty frames each market entry not as a sales push, but as a long-term relationship. “We’re not asking customers to change overnight,” he says. “We’re inviting them to shape the future with us.”
This relational approach is what makes Lindström’s approach stand out. It’s not about exporting sustainability. It’s about embedding it. Seam by seam, conversation by conversation, Lindström is weaving a new narrative for circular textiles in Asia; one rooted in partnership, patience, and the belief that business, done differently, can change habits as well as markets.