Resource utilization in the sub-sectors of the textile industry: opportunities for sustainability

It was aimed to determine the specific resource use and reduction potential profiles in various textile sub-sectors (cotton woven fabric dyeing-finishing, wool woven fabric dyeing-finishing, synthetic woven fabric dyeing-finishing, cotton knitted fabric, synthetic knit fabric dyeing-finishing, non-woven fabric, dyeing-finishing of knitted fabric). The main focus was to elucidate opportunities for sustainability in terms of decreasing resource utilization in the textile sector. On-site surveys and detailed data collection studies were carried out at 150 textile facilities. Average specific values for water, auxiliary chemicals, dyestuff, electricity, and steam consumptions, and related reduction potentials were calculated and compared within facilities and sub-sectors. The minimum specific resource consumption values reported in the Best Available Techniques Reference Document (BREF) for the textile industry and data of similar facilities from the literature were evaluated and used. A detailed environmental performance profile of the Turkish textile sector in terms of resource usage and reduction potential was generated. The highest specific water consumption was found in the wool-woven fabric sub-sector (345 ± 262 L/kg product). Although the specific auxiliary chemical consumption shows similarities within sub-sectors, the highest specific auxiliary chemical consumption (397 ± 237 g/kg product) was found in the synthetic woven fabric sub-sector. The sub-sector with the highest specific dyestuff consumption (30 ± 13 g/kg product) was the cotton knitted fabric sub-sector. The wool woven fabric industry had the highest specific electricity (7 ± 5.3 kWh/kg product) and steam (20 ± 11 kg steam/kg product) consumption. In addition, for all the studied sub-sectors country-wide, the lowest and highest reduction potentials in resource uses were 18 ± 15% and 73 ± 13%, respectively, suggesting a need for major full-scale implementations of cleaner production for enhancing sustainability in the textile industry.