5. Summary assessment of environmental relevance

In investment projects in the textile industry sector a range of environmentally relevant criteria must be taken into account at the location planning stage. In raw material producer countries in particular special consideration must be given to the effects of material production. The early and full involvement of the population groups affected, particularly women in some cases, can help resolve any problems which may arise.

Special attention must also be paid to the environmental impacts of raw wool washing and textile finishing plants. While in the former the problem is posed by the considerable degree of wastewater contamination, in textile finishing mill projects due account must be taken of the high water and energy consumption, the wide use of chemicals, the process-specific pollution of wastewater and exhaust air and the disposal of waste. In this regard, special industrial environmental protection officers must be appointed.

The current state-of-the-art in the processes, process installations and supply and disposal plants, together with relevant laws and their enforcement, combine to ensure that thoroughly environmentally sound textile production is possible at all stages of manufacture.

With regard to the socio-economic environmental impacts of textile projects mention should be made of the much more stringent requirements relating to personnel qualification. The capital-intensive nature of modern, extensively automated spinning, weaving and knitting mills is leading to the maximisation of machine operating times, thus multi-shift operation, usually 7 days per week, is the norm.

The whole area of socio-economic and socio-cultural aspects of this type of operation and its legislative framework must be looked at carefully.