Contributor, The Textile Industry and the Environment, UNEP

T
FOREWORD
extile production is an important contributor to many national economies. Its diverse operations
can also have significant impacts on the local environment, and present health and safety
risks to its workforce. With adequate care these impacts can however be reduced to acceptable levels.
As for all industrial developments it is essential to consider the potential for environmental impacts
in the planning phase which might be costly and difficult to mitigate at a later stage.
This Technical Report aims to provide guidance on measures to prevent pollution and save raw materials
through a cleaner production approach both at the conception stage and for ongoing operations.
This document is intended to provide an overview of the many specific elements which contribute
to good environmental performance. As such it does not detail any particular matter. For readers
who require specific design and operational details. further consultation of the references is
recommended.
The guide will be useful to readers from several different backgrounds and areas of responsibility,
in particular:
• Industry personnel will find descriptions of procedures and technologies that minimise environmental
impacts as well as policy and management guidelines for ensuring low impact operations.
• Government personnel and industry regulators will find indications of the level of environmental
performance that can be expected from the industry, together with a description of
technical, planning and management tools that foster its achievement.
• The general reader will find an overview ofenvuorunentaJ impacts related to the textile industry
and recommended strategies for regulating these effects.
UNEP IE hopes that this document will assist in environmentally sound decision-making and thus
contribute towards further development of a cleaner and sustainable textile industry. As many concrete
examples show, good environmental performance is usually associated with economic savings
coming from minimal treatment costs and effective use of energy and raw materials.
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