GIZ: India textile sector

Background

Industrial growth plays an important role in India’s development strategies. The biggest employers in India are concentrated in the textile sector. It is a water-intensive industry associated with high pollution due to the wastewater and wastes generated and the widespread use of chemicals, which need to be addressed. Many of the chemical agents used can have long-lasting negative effects on the environment.
In the European Union (EU), the “Best Available Techniques Reference Documents” (BREFs) for textiles and other industry sectors provide standards and guidance to authorities on how to develop environmental directives as well as to industries on how to comply with the directives. The experiences gathered in the EU, particularly in Germany, will be used for developing a similar BREF document for the textile sector in India.

Aim of the cooperation

The aim was to develop BREF documents adapted to the Indian context to strengthen compliance with environmental legislation in the textile sector and to limit its associated pollution. The implemented measures in this module support the initiatives of the Indian government and contribute among others directly to the Sustainable Development Goals on building resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation (SDG 9), specifically target 9.4: “By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities”.

What we do

• Preparation of BREF Documents: We supported the process of developing a BREF document for the textile sector in India, at national level and in the State of Gujarat in cooperation with experts of the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) in Germany.
• Knowledge Management: We promoted information exchange among all relevant authorities and stakeholders.
• Capacity Development: We enabled capacity development measures for industries and our partners to raise awareness on the BREF process and disseminate the knowledge accrued.

Key results

•  A guideline was developed on procedures for the preparation of environmental standards that promote environmentally friendly production processes tailored to the Indian context, in close cooperation with the responsible authorities and the UBA
• Training for partner’s experts on the content and use of the guide was developed and carried out
• In cooperation with the UBA, a first draft of the textile BREF Gujarat was finalized and will be presented to the relevant authorities