Indian Textile industry-Perspectives on environmental compliances

• WTO Regime: Agreement of textiles and clothing (ATC)• Free trade from Jan. 1, 2005• Export of textiles in the form of fibre, yarn, fabric, ready made in

the form of quota will disappear. • Competitive trade environment• Companies with • Strong R & D concepts• Conscious about• Quality• Cost • Environment • Social accountability• Will survive• Survival of the fittest

Market integration

• Little distinction between domestic and export market

• Only one market i.e. global market.

• Indian industry heavily dependent on Quota for export

• Gear up not only to retain the present market but enhance it.

Non tariff barriers

• Consist of wide range of issues

• Quality norms

• Environmental specifications

• Subsidies

• Social issues

• Will determine market access

• Share of textile products

• Environmental issues most important

Environmental issues

• Product related

• Process related

• Each country has its own regulatory framework regarding environment friendliness of product.

• Various voluntary standards/guidelines with respect to environment/ecological compliance

Process related

• Revolve around the way the goods are manufactured

• Minimize an adverse impact on local environment due to manufacturing activity

• Indian Environment regulatory authority• Ministry of environment• Central pollution control Board• State pollution control Boards• Sringent environmet laws/regulations• poor compliance/implementation

Process related

• Many textile mills fail to meet the norms• Highly decentralized nature of Indian textile industry

complicates enforcement of regulations. • Fragmented small scale sector can not afford individual effluent

treatment plants• Experiment of common effluent treatment plant (ETP) was not

satisfactory in small scale sector. • State Govt. and local authorities should facilitate eco-

compliance by providing• Infrastructural support like • Supply of water of acceptable quality• Earmarking suitable sites for• ETP and for dumping sludge.

Environment management system (EMS)

• Use of eco-friendly • Raw material• Up to finishing and packing• Indian textile industry needs to recognize this and take necessary

steps to switch over safer alternatives where ever possible.• Adoption of ISO 14000 Environmental management system (EMS)

help to meet• Requirements of regulatory authorities• Effective tool in enhancing the market share• Optimum utililization of resources like water and electricity• Go a long way to ensure sustainable development and market

acceptability.

Product related

• Primary concern• Textile purchased by a customer should not

have• Substances harmful to human health• Many standards banning/limiting the

presence of various harmful substances in textiles/clothings have been emerged world over.

• Germany was the first country to impose ban on the presence of azo dyes capable of releasing 22 carcinigenic amines

Banned amines

4 amino biphenyl Benzidine

4 chloro-o-toluidine 2 naphthylamine

4 chloro-o-toluidine 2 naphthylamine

4,4’ Diamino diphenyu\yl methane 3,3’ Dicholoro benzidine

3,3’ Dimethoxy benzidine 3,3’ Dimethyl benzidine

3,3’ Dimethyl-4,4’ diamino diphenyl methane

P-cresidine

4,4’ Methylene-bis-(2 chloaniline 4,4’ Oxydianiline

4,4’ Thiodianiline o-Toluidine

2,4,5 Trimethyl aniline 2,4,diamino toluene

o-aminoazotoluene 2 Amino-4-nitrotoluene

p-amino azo benzene 2 Methoxy aniline

Eco labels• Eco labels prescribe the norms for the presence of harmful

substances in the product• Best way to demonstrate the eco-compliance• Eco labels apply cradle to grave approach for manufacturing eco-

friendly textiles• Eco labels are voluntary in nature• Most of these labels cover the substances• Formaldehyde• Toxic pesticides• Pentachlorophenol (PCP)• Heavy metal traces• Banned azo dyes• Halogen carriers• Chlorine bleaching• The norms for presence of these substances vary from label to

label

Eco labelsCriteria/Norm stipulated ppm

Eco parameter

M.S.T.

OTN 100

Clean fashion

Steillmann

Comitextil

Indian eco label

Formaldehyde

Baby clothing

20 20 20 50 20 20

Close to skin

75 75 75 300 75 75

Outer wear

300 300 300 500 300 300

Toxic pesticides

1 1 1 1 1 1

Pentachlorophenol

0.5 - 0.5 Ban 0.5 0.5

Eco labelsCriteria/Norm stipulated ppm

Eco parameter

M.S.T.

OTN 100

Clean fashion

Steillmann

Comitextil

Indian eco label

Heavy Metals

Arsenic 0.01-0.2

10 all together

Lead 0.04-0.8

Cadmium 0.005-0.1

Mercury 0.001-0.1

Copper 3-100

Eco labelsCriteria/Norm stipulated ppm

Eco parameter

M.S.T. OTN 100

Clean fashion

Steillmann

Comitextil

Indian eco label

Chromium 0.1-20

Cobalt 0.2-20 10 all together

Zinc 5-100

Nickel 0.2-10

Azo dye ban amine

Ban Ban Ban Ban Ban Ban

Chlorine bleach /Hal.carrier

Ban Ban Ban Ban Ban Ban

Eco labels• Misuse of private company eco labels• Coordination committee for textile industies EEC (COMITEXTIL)• Single EC eco label include salient features of various eco labels• Indian companies yet to get into the culture of acquiring eco label• With increasing competition eco label certainly enhance market

image and access of a product. • Expenses for eco label are high• Should be treated as long term gain. • Textile committee (Min. of Textiles) finalizing agreement with TUV

Produkt Und Umwelt GmBH, Germany to utilize Textile committee laboratories for testing eco parameters for companie willing to obtain Toxproof eco label given by TUV

• This will bring down the cost of testing .

Testing for environmental parameters

• Rigid environmental parameters need • high testing standards• Highly sophisticated equipments for accuracy• High level of skill and knowledge• Some of the recommended equipments are• Gas chromatograph with Mass spectrometer GC-MS• High performance liquid chromaatograph HPLC• High performance thin layer chromatograph HPTLC• High performance capillary electrophoresis with diode array

detector HPCE-DAD• Atomic absorption spectrometer AAS• High quality fastness property equipments• High quality spectrophotometer

Efforts made by Textile Committee (Ministry of Textiles)

• Provision of funds for setting State of Art testing laboratories• Textile committee laboratories in different states• Textile research Associations• Educational institutes, IITs, UDCT• Total 23 eco laboratories • Dissemination of information through seminars, workshops• Modernization funds under TUFS (Textile up gradation fund

scheme)

Further measures

• Big textile industries are reasonably well equipped to meet present challenges

• Medium and small scale idnustry needs much improvement• Indian economy and employment more dependent on small scale

manufacturers• Popularize the concept of common effluent treatment plant• Compliance of norms prescribed by state pollution control Boards• Adoption of ISO 14000 and eco labels in a big way (Presently only

20 companies have ISO 14000)• The culture of testing of chemicals, dyes and textiles must be

developed.