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Abdullahpur village in western Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut is famous for manufacturing sports equipment. In every household here, work is carried out to produce sports goods such as badminton rackets (stringing), shuttlecocks, footballs, and cricket balls. At the doorway of one such house in the village’s narrow lanes, a few duck and goose feathers are scattered. Inside, some artisans are engrossed in their work amidst loud music playing on mobile phones.
The innermost room of this three-room house is filled with stench. Here, an artisan sits amidst a heap of feathers, sorting through them. The usable feathers are set aside in a separate pile.
In the other room, two workers are trimming the feathers to a uniform size using a small machine. These are pure white feathers; they were bleached with chemicals and then dried in machines.
In the third room, five artisans are fitting these feathers one by one into the holes of a shuttlecock’s cork.
Forty-year-old Mohammad Sonu has been doing this work for the past 20-25 years. “It involves washing, drying, and cutting the feathers—the whole process. I get Rs 21 for making a dozen shuttlecocks. By producing at least 20 dozen shuttlecocks daily, I manage to earn around Rs 400.”
A well-known sports company engaged in wholesale trade gets badminton rackets and shuttlecocks manufactured on a job-work basis by artisans like Sonu in Abdullahpur. Shuttlecocks from this brand are sold on an online platform at a price of approximately Rs 28 each. Sonu earns about Rs 1.75 for making a single piece—a price roughly 16 times higher than his wages.
Drenched in sweat in the May heat, Sonu says, “There has been no change in our line of work overtime. The cost of living has soared, yet our wages have remained stagnant.” Since his wife’s passing, he has been raising one of his daughters on his own.
At least 2,000 shuttlecocks are produced daily at this home-based unit, which are then supplied to dealers.
Meerut’s sports industry rests on a network of artisans, hundreds of small and large manufacturing units, and exporters. Dinesh Arya, Assistant Commissioner at the District Industries and Enterprise Promotion Centre in Meerut, cites examples of some major sports brands in the district: “They share information regarding specifications—such as design and weight—with small units.” They prepare them based on this. After a quality check, the brand’s logo is affixed to them.
He says, “This industry, operating as a cluster, is highly chaotic and unorganised. The sports manufacturing units function using traditional, ancestral methods—much like their ancestors did. There is a lack of knowledge regarding utilisation of modern technology.”
Sports goods manufactured in Abdullahpur reach domestic and international markets through traders and supply networks after undergoing packaging and branding.
In the global market, sports equipment is evaluated not only based on quality but also on factors such as the energy used in production, waste management, and workers’ working conditions. In contrast, there is currently no pressure to meet such standards in the domestic market. According to experts, Meerut’s sports industry needs to transform to remain competitive globally.
Meerut is one of India’s largest sports goods clusters and is recognised for sports equipment under Uttar Pradesh’s ‘One District, One Product’ (ODOP) scheme. More than 300,000 artisans, women workers, and small entrepreneurs are associated with this cluster, manufacturing sports products such as cricket bats, balls, gloves, cricket pads, tennis balls, footballs, shuttlecocks, rackets, carrom boards, table tennis equipment, physical fitness and gym gear, and athletics equipment.
It was due to air pollution that India’s ‘sports city’ lost its first opportunity to host matches for the prestigious Santosh Trophy national football championship in December 2025, after the Supreme Court banned all sporting activities in the National Capital Region (NCR) until December 31.
The process of ‘Just Transition’—making this shift equitable—must begin with the sports manufacturing units operating in villages like Abdullahpur, which offer a glimpse into Meerut’s sports industry.
Stepping inside a sports factory that looks small from the outside reveals a whole new world.
In most of the area covered by a tin shed, electric lighting is necessary even during the day. Amidst the noise of machinery and May temperatures exceeding 40°C, more than two dozen people are engaged in manufacturing sports equipment. Cricket bats, carrom boards, and tennis balls are produced here.
As cricket bats are shaped on machines, fine wood dust coats the artisans’ clothes and faces and lingers in the air they breathe. Nearby, black polish used on carrom board frames covers the faces and clothes of two teenage workers and has left dark stains on the walls around them.
The majority of artisans here are engaged in manufacturing tennis balls. Processes such as cutting, grinding, and joining the rubber are carried out by machines, whereas applying the felt, stitching, and giving the balls their final finish rely on manual craftsmanship.
For the artisans who make the tennis balls that hold the gaze of players and spectators, working on them up close means putting their own eyesight at risk.
At the far end of the factory, a female worker named Roshan Jahan is cleaning rubber bowls by smoothening them on a machine. During the grinding process, black dust sprays onto her face; to protect herself, she has covered her entire face—except for her eyes—with her dupatta.
Roshan, who used to work as a farm labourer, is quite satisfied with the fixed wages she earns at the factory. She says, “I have been working here for six or seven years. I earn Rs 7,000 a month. We have to work hard to earn our living.”
Tarannum Jahan, who is working with her, has her entire face—including her eyes, nose, and ears—wrapped in a dupatta.
Amidst these conditions of pollution and heat, workers toil for 7-8 hours in enclosed homes and factories, relying on just a single fan. Meerut ranks among the most polluted cities in the NCR. According to the Uttar Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, rising temperatures place Meerut in the ‘high-risk’ category—indicating extreme vulnerability—regarding heatwave exposure.
Nadeem Mewati, a former councilor who has been running this factory for over 30 years, says, “We never received any special training or technical information from the government to improve this traditional business. Working carefully is enough to ensure safety.”
According to most people associated with the sports industry—including Nadeem—and the Meerut administration, this enterprise causes no harm to the environment.
Meanwhile, both sides of the road leading from Abdullahpur village towards Meerut city appeared littered for about two to three kilometres with the partially burnt waste of sports materials—such as foam, tennis ball fabric, shuttlecock feathers, torn rubber sheets, and molding scraps.
Rajendra Prasad, Regional Officer of the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board in Meerut, says, “Sports goods units fall under the ‘Green Category.’ Consent from the Board is required for their establishment and operation. However, they do not generate significant air pollution, industrial waste, or other external pollutants that would require our regulation.” He acknowledges that factory maintenance, worker safety, and hygiene are also matters linked to pollution standards.
Most small and large units in the village—including Nadeem’s factory and artisan Sonu’s unit—still do not have access to solar power.
Dinesh Arya, Assistant Commissioner at Meerut’s District Industries and Enterprise Promotion Centre, says that small entrepreneurs and artisans lack the financial capacity to set up solar plants.
Abbas Bhai, a manufacturer of cricket bats, balls, and soft leather products in the Mawana area of Meerut, holds export orders worth approximately Rs 2.5 crore. International buyers require traders like Abbas Bhai to meet international standards. He says, “Certification is mandatory for entering the global market and securing export orders. I have spent around Rs seven lakh on this. Several standards must be met for it; these include conditions such as the use of safe chemicals, the prohibition of child labour, better working conditions for labourers, and adherence to environmental standards.”
These companies acknowledge that climate change is the greatest environmental concern facing the world today. Reducing carbon emissions from business operations is crucial to slowing the pace of climate change, preserving ecosystems, maintaining economic stability, and mitigating health risks.
Akshay Mahajan, a director at a company that has been operating in Meerut’s sports goods industry for nearly 50 years, says, “Our products are exported to several countries, including those in Europe, South Africa, the UAE, and Australia. For exports to European markets, compliance with chemical safety standards like REACH is mandatory. The use of synthetic dyes—such as AZO dyes—that could break down to form hazardous chemicals is prohibited.” According to Mahajan, no such standards exist for the domestic market.
Conditions at Mahajan’s unit are better than those in the units operating out of homes in Abdullapur. Artisans work in clean, well-ventilated, and well-lit rooms. The unit runs on a 15-kilowatt solar plant.
Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) play a significant role in achieving the goal of zero carbon emissions, or ‘Net Zero’.
According to a NITI Aayog report on export prospects in the country’s sports industry, India’s sports sector is driven by MSMEs. Meerut and Jalandhar are major hubs for sports equipment manufacturing. Together, these two clusters comprise over 25,000 units. Of these, for every 100 units, approximately 79 are household-based, 16 are micro-enterprises, four cater to the domestic market, and only one is engaged in exports.
Meanwhile, according to data from the Meerut District Industries Centre, a total of 9,720 sports-related MSME units generated a turnover of approximately Rs 1,852 crore in the year 2025-26, while annual exports stand at around Rs 975 crore.
The Process-cum-Product Development Centre (PPDC), operating under the Ministry of MSME, assists industries with technical training, quality testing, and the development of improved products.
Aditya Prakash Sharma, Principal Director in charge of PPDC Meerut, points to a lack of awareness among traders and limited resources for training. “It is essential to align ourselves with international standards. We need to focus on research and innovation. Entrepreneurs are still manufacturing sports goods using traditional methods, whereas competing nations like Pakistan and China are ahead of us in terms of technology. To boost exports, we also require a skilled workforce, training, and financial assistance.”
Meanwhile, Rs 500 crore has been allocated in this year’s Union Budget to strengthen the country’s sports ecosystem, with the aim of establishing India as a global hub for sports equipment manufacturing. To this end, special initiatives have been proposed to foster innovation in manufacturing, research, equipment design, and materials science.
Sharma said the initiative could help meet the aspirations of Meerut’s sports community.
Amit Kumar is a Senior Fellow with WRI India’s Climate Program. He works on issues related to climate and sustainable development. He emphasises initiating a ‘Just Transition’ within the sports industry starting with smaller units. "Small MSMEs often lack the financial capacity, and even the awareness, to undertake such changes. However, these units are part of the supply chains of larger sports goods manufacturers. Therefore, it is the responsibility of bigger companies to support the small and cottage industries they depend on in making this transition. Ultimately, whether driven by domestic regulations or international standards, these mandates can only be fully achieved if every unit in the supply chain complies."
He adds, “The role of the government is to develop regulations on one hand and formulate policies that facilitate the implementation of these regulatory requirements on the other hand. The facilitative policy framework will include, for instance, the requirement of organizing capacity building and appropriate technical training of these MSMEs as well as schemes through which such initiatives could be financed easily comprising subsidies, incentives, and concessional financing e.g. MUDRA.”
India is set to host the Commonwealth Games in 2030 and is also in the race to host the Olympics in 2036. The industrial sector in Meerut faces the challenge of adapting to evolving international regulations. To navigate this shift, it is essential to prepare artisans like Sonu and small-scale, home-based units—such as the factories in Abdullahpur—that form the backbone of India’s sports industry.