Did CSIR Ask Employees to Avoid Ironing Clothes on Mondays?

For those rejoicing at the thought of skipping ironing duties, inspired by the ‘Wrinkles Achche Hai’ campaign from The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), hold your steam. The organisation clarified that no official mandate has been issued to ditch ironed clothes, despite reports suggesting otherwise.

“With regard to certain news reports, CSIR wishes to clarify that No CIRCULAR or OFFICIAL ORDER has been issued by the CSIR HQ to its labs asking the staff to refrain from wearing ironed clothes,” they wrote on their official ‘X’ handle.

The confusion stemmed from various news outlets portraying the campaign as a strategic move by CSIR to promote energy conservation and eco-friendliness in the scientific community.

Reports indicated that CSIR aimed to tackle carbon emissions, particularly from ironing clothes, by encouraging its network of labs and teams to embrace wrinkles every Monday until May 15.

Dr. N Kalaiselvi, CSIR’s first woman director-general, was quoted in some reports explaining, “Ironing each set of clothes amounts to the emission of 200 g of carbon dioxide. So, by wearing non-ironed clothes, one can prevent the emission of carbon dioxide to the tune of 200 g.”

The reports even referenced a circular allegedly issued by CSIR and the Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) in Chennai, advocating, “The challenge requires to refrain from wearing ironed clothes at least one day in a week, which means, actually not ironing clothes as also to embrace wrinkles to reduce energy consumption and show collective commitment to environment sustainability.”

However, CSIR debunked these claims, stating that the confusion arose from a speech given by Prof. Chetan Solanki from IIT-Bombay during the Earth Day Celebrations on April 23, 2024, where he shared his views on energy conservation.

So, for now, it seems ironing is still very much on the table for those who prefer a crisp look.