Pollution Prevention Seminar: October 1994 - Globalization - The Future of Pollution Prevention

Pollution prevention for the textile industry is reviewed, including a brief summary of present practices and an analysis of future needs and opportunities. Barriers and facilitating factors are identified. Introduction Thb US textile industry has a major impact not only on the nation’s economy but also the economic and environmental quality of life in many communities. In several states, textiles is the leading provider of manufacturing jobs, with North Carolina as the nation’s number one state in primary textile employment and production. There are about 1,000 textile manufacturing facilities in North Carolina, and about 6,000 nationwide. In 1992, the textile complex generated a gross national product of $72.5 billion, an amount that surpasses the automotive industry, primary metals, or petroleum refining.(l) Textile processing requires the use of vast amounts of water, chemicals and energy, and therefore it has important effects on environmental quality in textile manufacturing regions.(2,3) In North Carolina alone, there are about 200 NPDES permitted textile wastewater point discharge sources, as well as hundreds of municipal systems in which textile operations are significant industrial users. A wastewater pollutant reduction of merely one part per million average across the textile industry in North Carolina alone is equivalent to roughly 150 tons per year of pollutant discharged to the environment. This indicates the immense potential of pollution source reduction. Air quality issues are also important in textiles, with 132 facilities in North Carolina alone reporting air toxics emissions of over 3000 tons in the aggregate44) In addition to air toxics concerns, most textile mills operate steam generation plants which produce boiler emissions. Although small in comparison to public utility electric power generating plants, textile sources are significant. In addition, the emerging issue of textiles and indoor air quality which is now under intense scrutiny.(5) Solid waste is also produced in large quantities, and hazardous waste in small quantities in some operations. In many cases, destruction of these wastes is not feasible for economic, technical or political reasons. For example, North Carolina ranks 11th nationally in the production of hazardous waste, but has no permitted hazardous waste disposal facility. In light of all of the above, it is easy to see the regional and national importance of pollution control in textile operations.