Akshay Kumar’s Son Chooses Thrift Stores, Rides Sustainable Fashion Wave

4 min readNew DelhiJul 25, 2026 09:30 AM Sustainability is not just a concept but a way of living life. Many often misinterpret the word and relate it only to energy consumption. But a holic approach, including making conscious choices for everyday things like fashion, cooking and home decor, is required to be truly eco-friendly. In the latest episode of Pitch To Get Rich on JioHotstar, Akshay Kumar shared a heartwarming story about his son Aarav choosing to live a sustainable life—leaning towards thrifted fashion and pre-loved pieces —and giving his parents a much-needed lesson in conscious living.
“My son is the biggest sustainable brand ambassador because he only shops from thrift stores. I told him, ‘Your dad can buy so many things…whatever you want’, but he goes, ‘No, Daddy, I want to shop from there only’,” the Bollywood actor shared on the platform, further adding: “Then he took me to a thrift store, and I bought a lot of things. I understood why he is doing it, and Gen Z is more and more aware of it.”

In India, thousands of tons of waste are generated every day, and a large portion of it still goes straight to landfills.
Kapil Bhatia, founder and CEO of UNIREC, a sustainable fashion clothing brand, says that solving India’s waste problem will take some time, but making certain lifestyle adjustments could have a snowballing effect. “If more people practised sustainable habits in their homes, we would produce much less waste overall,” he tells .
Here are some easy ways to cut down on fashion waste and live a sustainable life.
Buy less
The easiest way to cut down waste is to create less of it in the first place. Buying things frequently, especially low-quality or trend-based items, means they are thrown away sooner. Bhatia says that rather than buying things frequently, purchase top-notch products that will stand the test of time. According to him, the faster we use and throw away products, the sooner that waste builds up.
Segregate waste at home
A lot of waste that could be recycled is lost because it gets mixed with food waste or other materials. Once contaminated, it often cannot be processed and ends up in landfills.
Bhatia suggests keeping wet waste, dry waste, and recyclables separate at home makes it easier for waste to be properly treated. “Research in Indian cities shows that better awareness and simple systems for segregation can significantly improve recycling rates. Without this step, even the 17 per cent of waste that is recyclable often goes to landfills,” he says.Story continues below this ad
Avoid single use plastic
Single-use plastics like bags, bottles, and packaging are used for a few minutes but stay in the environment for years. India generates around 3.3 million tonnes of plastic waste every year, and a large share of it ends up in landfills.
Besides using a reusable bottle or bag for shopping, Bhatia further recommends avoiding plastic utensils and switching to metal lunch boxes. While it may seem like a small change, it can make a significant impact.

Build a conscious closet
Clothing waste is growing rapidly, with millions of tonnes discarded every year. Bhatia says that “in India alone, about 7.8 million tonnes of textile waste is generated annually”. Therefore, building a conscious closet helps keep textiles out of landfills while encouraging sustainable living. “This means buying fewer clothes, choosing better-quality pieces, repairing what you own, and donating what you no longer need,” he explains. Even small changes, like wearing clothes longer, can significantly reduce waste.
DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to.