Assessing effectiveness of the water management practices adopted across the cotton textile supply chain
Student name: Ms Tavishi Darbari
Guide: Dr Smriti Das
Year of completion: 2018
Host Organisation: Institute for Sustainable Communities, Mumbai
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Mr Manohar Shenoy
Abstract: The cotton textile industry is a water intensive sector. The processes involved across the entire cotton textile supply chain are heavily dependent on water as the main input. This huge dependence has laid significant impact on the available water resources in the country. Beside these huge water requirements at various stages of processing, the textile industries further aggravate the situation by not treating the waste water properly which poses significant risks to the society and ecosystem.
Amidst the dismal water availability scenario and the growing level of awareness, companies have started adopting various innovative technologies and practices that ensure water conservation and management. However, choosing the most effective, economically feasible and technologically efficient practice or technique is a struggle. In this context, the study aims to assess the effectiveness of the various water management practices adopted across the cotton textile supply chain. The focus of the study is primarily laid across two supply chain points that are most water intensive. Instead of covering a large range of practices, the study targets to examine the effectiveness of single practice across the two supply chain points at the identified locations. At the primary producer level, a comparative analysis is conducted between the conventional BCI laid farming practices to assess the effectiveness of the water management practices directed under BCI. And, at the secondary manufacturing level, the effectiveness of ZLD (Zero Liquid Discharge) technology is assessed through conducting a case study of a dyeing unit in Tirupur. The insights from this study may help in generating awareness about the need for water management in cotton textile supply chain among the policy makers, industry leaders and other stakeholders & also, highlight various issues and challenges faced by different actors in adopting these practices and thereby proposes necessarily actions to bridge these gaps. The results and findings of this report are based on the data obtained from both the primary and secondary research.
Keywords: Cotton Textile Supply chain, Water Resource Management, sustainable farming Practices, Effluent treatment, ZLD technology, Stakeholder Engagement Plan.
