Contributor, The Textile Industry and the Environment, UNEP

• 3.1 SOURCES OF IMPACT
I
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ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT
OF
THE
TEXTILE
INDUSTRY
n typical textile operations both chemical and mechanical treatments are used on the raw materials
to produce a finished product. Unwanted by-products arise from many points in this cycle,
the majority of which are discarded.
Unwanted raw material components, such as grease and dirt, can constitute a major part of the raw
pollution load arising from many textile operations. Waste chemicals, from the process or washed
from finished textiles, constitute a second source of potential pollutants. Due to the range of chemicals
used, the composition of the effluent stream may also vary considerably.
Chemical companies market a huge range of products such as dye formulations and colorants to the
textile industry, many under trade names rather than by chemical composition. Table I shows an
inventory of the 30 base chemicals and a wide variety of auxiliary chemicals used in a Ghanaian textile
mill. Many of these are listed only under their trade name, making the full identification of their
associated environmental and health risks more difficult. Many chemicals used may be dangerous
to handle unless proper safety precautions are used. Some present a fire (lsk if incorrectly stored
and handled. Others, including a range of caustic or oxidising chemicals, can be either corrosive
or acutely toxic. Some solvents and colorants present a chronic health risk jf prolonged exposure
takes place.
Many dyes and colorants are difficult to treat but their high visibility in waste discharges means these
materials attract particular attention. Occupatlonal safety and exposure during handling is however
an equally important issue which needs to be managed just as closely as impacts on the external
environment. To provide users with more precise guidance, the Ecological and Toxicological Association
of Dyes and Organic Pigments Manufacturers (ETAD) has prepared guidance documents
covering safe handJing as wclJ as environmental issues such as risk assessment. Relevant references are
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