Ecological Manufacturing Systems  

~ Yong Kok Swee~

In recent years, almost every branch has felt increasing pressure from authorities, consumer associations, the press media and sensitised citizens. Firms in the textile chain in particulars must prove again and again that they do not overstep the limits, that they meet labelling requirement, that their products do not trigger eczema, and that company employees show positive environment consciousness etc.

Growth is one of this century’s key-worlds. It is the discourse of economic growth, of increase GNP and growing information potential. At the times, the limits of growth, the growth world pollution, rubbish mountains and diseases brought on by civilisation are disquieting, adding to the fears and uncertainties of the populace, triggered last but not least by contradictory information.

After the secondary war, increasing pollution showed that the use of public property like air and water for example requires regulation. The best known control system, that is regulations and bans (limit) was offered as an initial step. The developed industrial nation legislations devoted themselves with varying degrees of haste the varies areas in air, water, noise, effluent, and floors. The serious disadvantages of this method of control were soon revealed however:

·         Sometimes lengthy legal processes;

·         Limits, methods etc are not always up to the state of the art:

·         Distorted competition;

·         Possible inhibition of new developments

Additionally, regulations and bans rarely stimulate active cooperation as far as limits are concerned. Among other things, responsibility for liability was introduced in USA in the 20th century 80s because of these failings. Only in the 90s did various market economic instruments enter the scene.

Environmental management systems like BS 7750, EMAS, and ISO 14000 go far beyond the principle of bans and regulations, because companies have to set and meet their own environment-related targets in addition to complying with the laws. In addition to legal developments, pressure by sensitised citizens, consumer associations, and press media has also increased in recent years. Through these developments, companies in the textile chain are increasingly trying to develop of their own ecological efforts and products. As we known, these efforts go in different directions, from the dyestuffs and chemicals suppliers, textile machinery manufacturer, and to the development of the process management and control.

þ The Environmentally Harmful Manufacture of Textile Criticism

The “environmentally harmful manufacture of textile” as criticised by the sensitised citizens, consumer protection organisation and ecological institutes is as follows:

þ  Chemically charged of fibrous substances with ecologically questionable partly toxic substances and concentrations;

þ  Chemically charged finishing with application of many chemicals and charging of water and exhaust air;

þ  Dyeing with partly dermatologically questionable dyestuffs;

þ  Charging of the ready textile with partly questionable and partly too high quantities of chemicals;

þ  Permanent creation of an allergy potential;

þ  Irresponsible innovations with ecological consequence;

þ  Insufficient industrial safety during production;

þ  Serious quality faults with low quality level and unqualified operators;

þ  Not totally clear-off effects and dangers of metabolites;

þ  No research and studies background of dyes, chemicals and auxiliaries used in processing;

þ  Surplus using of dyes, chemicals, and auxiliaries (without recycle), causing effluent treatment cost intensive and public control surplus;

þ  The Ministry of heath provides no regulatory definitions of limit values for textiles;

þ  Insufficient marking of ingredient and insufficient instructions for used;

      4No government approval and monitoring (no limits, no control):

      4Textiles covered by the food and commodity laws, regulations of scanty;

þ  Insufficient information on processing stages in textile manufacturing and of consumer;

þ  Too many certificates of non-objection of manufactures and of the textile chemistry that prove nothing;

þ  Doubtful disposal of textile goods.

It should be duly considered the ecologically relevant criticism of the public of textiles and their reproaches to the textile chemistry by these organization is virtually neutralized by cost-intensive water and energy saving measures taken by the textile wet processing industries enforced by industry internal regulations and by anti-pollution laws applicable.

The costs of a continuous modernization of plants arising by efforts to comply to changing stipulations of authorities are absorbed by the textile wet process industries with a sense of responsibility even through this means a continuous impairment of the competitive position of trade in comparison with low-wage countries.

þ Environmental Regulations Interfere with the Textile Wet Process Industry

The unjustified charges against textile wet process industries and the textile chemistry cannot be simply ignored or sat out. Consequently, the producers of textile are more and more taking the initiative to rectify, to inform and, of course, to optimise both production processes and quality standards of their textiles with respect to ecological acceptability. Initiatives taken by the chain of the textile manufacturers and the marketing agency (end user) includes the joint informative pamphlets serve the purpose of ecological manufacturing processes.

The environmental regulations that are interfere with the textile wet process industries as follows:

1. Handling of dyes, chemicals and auxiliaries: (Law on chemicals)

(A)   Regulations on dangerous substances;

(B)   Classification and marking of dangerous substances and preparations;

(C)   Caronogenic, genotype-damaging and telus-damaging dangerous substances;

(D)   Toxic, caustic, irritating and chronically damaging dangerous substances;

(E)    Certain burn-promoting, explosive and flammable substances;

(F)    Medical check-up;

i)              List of MAK values – maximum concentration at working place;

ii)             List of BAT Values – biological tolerance value for working material

iii)           List of TRK value – technical standard concentration

iv)           Regulation on burnable liquids – VbF

v)            Storage of chemicals and textile auxiliaries.

2. Danger for waste water

i)              Water balance law;          

ii)             Regulation of water-damage substances;    

iii)           Law on washing and cleaning agents;

iv)           Regulation on surfactants;

v)            Law on duties for waste water.

3.       Charge of leaving air and environment  

- Immission protection law and protection:            1.) on air;       2.) on noise;

4.       Disposal of residual liquors, waste and sewage sludge

- Waste treatment law; sewage sludge; executive order

5.       Physiological effects of textile goods

i)        Regulations on danger substances;

ii)       Allergic effects, odour, skin compatibility, prevention – home textile; 

6.       Environmental liability law (liability for possible damages)

i)        Law on liability for environmental damages and to the alteration of the water;

ii)       Balance law and the immission protection law;

7.       Environmental criminality law  - Act on the environmental criminality law.

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