Textile-producing nations unite to reduce chemical waste

Islamabad, 14 October 2022 – The Governments of Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan and Viet Nam have joined forces to fight chemical pollution today, launching a joint $43-million programme to manage and reduce hazardous chemicals in their textile industries.

Employing over 10 million people, the four nations’ textile sectors account for near 15% of global clothing exports. However, the economic benefits of the industry come at a cost, with the sector being one of the world’s major users of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a family of approximately 12,000 synthetic chemicals which do not break down and accumulate in the environment, threatening human and ecosystem health.