How The Textile Industry Wastes Water

The textile industry is a major polluter of water at all stages of the value chain. It is reported that the annual water consumption of the textile industry is nearly 93 billion cubic litres (1 cubic metre = 1000 litres) which is almost 4% of the total global freshwater withdrawal. So, for every 1000 litres of fresh water that is used on the planet, 40 litres are being used by the textile industry alone.

The industry requires large amounts of water for various processes such as dyeing, printing and finishing all of which resulting in the generation of vast amounts of wastewater that contains various pollutants, including chemicals, dyes, and organic compounds. The industry is also responsible for releasing huge amounts of microplastics into the water.

Here are some of the processes that contribute to water use and potential waste within the textile sector:

1.                   Cotton Production: The cultivation of cotton, a common textile fibre, can be water-intensive, especially in regions with water scarcity but whether the area has an abundant supply of water or it is scarce the crop still requires irrigation.

2.                   Dyeing and Finishing: Dyeing and finishing processes involve substantial water usage. The amount of water depends on factors such as the type of dyes used, the dyeing method, and the complexity of finishing processes.

3.                   Washing and Rinsing: Washing and rinsing steps in textile processing contribute to water use. Proper rinsing is necessary to remove residual chemicals.

In an article by ‘theconsiouschallenge.org’ it is reported that it takes in the region of 2,700 litres of water to produce just one cotton T-shirt, and that approximately 2 billion T-shirts are sold around the world every year.

To help combat the hefty amount of water used by the textile industry, we have developed a wide range of wastewater treatment tanks, systems and chemical treatments designed to allow users to recycle their water back into the production process. Filtering out the dye, chemicals and organic compounds allows the water to remain fresh and clean and ready for reuse. You can read our Filtration of Wool Dye Washing Water article to see how we have successfully and efficiently filtered dye out of wastewater in the past.

Wastewater treatment is essential for many reasons. To ensure that discharged water meets environmental standards, reduce water bills and energy costs, protect natural resources, and improve the company’s public image. Check out our article on The Importance of Recycling Water to see how implementing our wastewater treatments can benefit your company and its customers.