Water Management and Green Transition in China's Textile Industry: A Policy-Driven Comparative Analysis

As one of the world's largest water-intensive industries, the textile industry may cause water shortages and environmental pollution, making the improvement of water use efficiency and sewage treatment imperative. Government-led environmental regulations, a key exogenous force, have catalyzed the industry's green transition. Therefore, exploring their impact and role on water extraction and discharge throughout the textile and apparel supply chain is of great significance for promoting the sustainable development of the textile industry. Based on multilevel quantitative analysis, this study reveals that the silk, printing and dyeing, and leather subsectors have the highest intensity of water extraction, discharge, and pollution emissions in the industry, highlighting the necessity for tiered standard regulations. Furthermore, from an empirical perspective, the study examines the development trends and impact of environmental regulations, demonstrating an interactive model of "standard policy → water-saving innovation → sustainable development." Taking the silk industry as an example, it shows that the synergy of restrictive and incentive-based water policies drives transformation through dual pathways of restriction and compensation for enterprises, leading to a positive cycle of enhanced economic and environmental benefits in the industry. These findings provide authentic and feasible insights for water saving, emission reduction, and clean production in the textile and apparel industry.