Assessment of the implementation status of best available techniques for cleaner production in the textile industry

The draft Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) regulation mandates compliance with best available techniques (BATs) for textile manufacturers. A study in Turkish textile facilities, covering 56 units across four sub-sectors, assessed the status of 488 BATs through on-site visits and surveys. The aim was to gauge the sector’s adherence to BATs. The findings revealed that 37% of surveyed BATs were fully implemented, rising to 88% when considering potential future implementations. This suggests a strong industry inclination toward adopting BATs for cleaner production and competitiveness. The study highlighted significant BAT-related investments in the textile sector, driven by environmental concerns, regulations, customer demands, resource efficiency, competition, and cost-benefit considerations. However, the study results also indicated that there is still much work to do for the implementation of some BATs. It was found that 60 BATs had lower implementation ratios (IR: 0%–3%). Lower IR values for these BATs are mainly due to factors like specificity, high costs, long payback periods, operational difficulties, limited expertise, space constraints, customer requirements, quality concerns, operational issues, and sector-specific challenges. The study recommends similar assessments in other European industrial sectors to evaluate compliance with mandatory BATs outlined in the Industrial Emissions Directive. The insights from this study on the Turkish textile sector can serve as a valuable guide for future evaluations.