Environmental Management Practice in RMG Sector

Environmental issues in RMG of Bangladesh- Rapid growth in the industrial

sector is playing a vital role in the economy of Bangladesh. Mainly the
growth has been concentrated in garments which are export oriented
industries. To support garments a large number of other textile industries
have been established & more are growing to be set up shortly. These
rapid growth of textile industries create environmental pollution, mainly
pollution in water bodies. The reason of water pollution is lack of
appropriate environmental management in textiles in Bangladesh. There
are several environmental management options in textiles. Among various
options most popular and effective option is establishment of perfect
waste water treatment plant which is conventionally known as Effluent
treatment plant & appropriate treatment of waste water regularly. Though
Bangladesh Government introduced law to run treatment plants but at
present a few treatment plants are running smoothly in some of factories.
So the scenario of pollution contributed by textiles yet to improve due to
discharging of waste water to water bodies causing detrimental effects to
aquatic lives & people who are directly in contact with polluted water.

Introduction Environmental Management:

Administrative functions that develop, implement, and monitor the
environmental policy of an organization. In most cases, it does not
actually involve managing the environment itself, but rather is the process
of taking steps and promoting behaviors that will have a positive impact
on how environmental resources are used and protected. Organizations
engage in environmental management for a couple of different reasons,
but caring for the natural world, following local laws and rules about
conservation, and saving money are usually near the top of most lists.
Management plans look different in different industries, but all aim for
roughly the same goals.

Define Environmental Management:

Environmental management is a process that industries,
companies, and individuals undertake to regulate and protect the
health of the natural world.
An Environment Management System EMS monitors environments
performance, the same as the method a monetary management system

monitors expenditure and financial gain and allows regular checks of a

companys monetary performance. An EMS integrates environmental
system into a companys into companys daily operation. Future designing
and alternative quality management system.

Elements of EMS
o
o
o
o
o

Monitoring and measurement

Evaluation of compliance
Nonconformity, Corrective action, and preventive action
Records
Internal Audits

Environmental Threads

Emission to air
Waste water discharge to stream or land
Waste discharge to land
Use of material, energy and resources
Noise generation
Vibration
Radiation

Environmental Impacts
Pollution is the discharge of unwanted material, residue and energy into
the environment. Some of these residues are unconverted raw material,
some are uncovered products and some are by products produced during
the manufacturing or processing. In other words, pollution is a sign of
inefficiency in industrial production and it can be considered as money
that is going up the chimney, down the sewer and out of the plant in
waste truck, thus causing loss to the manufacturer.

Air Pollution
Water Pollution
Land Pollution
Noise Pollution
Natural Resources / Conservation
Nuisance
Ozone Depletion
Global Warming

The pollution in a Composite Garments Industries can be

categorized into three groups:
1. Air Pollution: Some of the pollutants causing air pollution are Sulphur
dioxide, Metal sulphates, and exhaust gases emanating from

polycondensation, melt spinning fiber lines and the fluff generated during
spinning & weaving processes etc.
Pollutants

Sulphur di oxide
aldehydes
chlorine

Carbon di oxide

Effects on Human
Being
Irritates respiratory
system and causes
bronchitis
Irritates all parts of
respiratory system
Causes lung irritation
and also irritation in
eyes
Deprives body cells of
oxygen and cause
unconsciousness by
CO combining with
hemoglobin

Sources
Boiler flue gas, rayon
plant etc.
Polyester plant
Processing house

Boiler house

2. Water Pollution:
Garments industry is one of the leading consumers of water. It consumes
about 3.2% of total consumption of water for various processes such as
sizing, scouring, bleaching, dyeing, printing and other finishing processes.
The used water containing various constituents such as dyes, chemicals is
directly released into the sources of water which gets contaminated and
thus resulting into water pollution.
The chief sources of water pollution at various stages of
processing are as follows:
Process

Desizing

Kiering
Bleaching

Possible Pollutants /
Source
Starch, glucose, CMC,
PVA, resins, fats and
waxes not exert a high
BOD

Caustic soda, waxes

and grease, soda ash,
sodium silicate and
fragments of cloth
Hypochlorite, chlorine,
caustic soda,
hydrogen peroxide,

Nature of effluents
Very small volume,
High Biochemical
Oxygen Demand-BOD:
(30 50% of total)
Carboxymethyl
cellulose-CMC and
Polyvinyl chloride-PVA
Small volume, strongly
alkaline, dark colour,
high BOD: (30 % of
total)
Small volume, strongly
alkaline, low BOD: (5
% of total)

acids
Caustic soda
Mercerization

Dyeing

Printing

Finishing
Wastewater
Treatment

Dyestuff, mordant and

reducing agents like
sulphides, acetic acid
and soap
Dyes, starch, gums oil,
China clay, mordants,
acids and metallic
salts
Traces of starch,
tallow, salts, special
finishes, etc.
Emission from
treatment tanks.
Emission from boiler

Energy Production

Chemical Storage

Emissions from
storage tanks for
commodity and
chemicals

Small volume, strongly

alkaline, low BOD:
(less than 1% of total )
Large volume ,
strongly colored, fairly
high BOD: (6% of
total)
Very small volume,
oily appearance, fairly
high BOD
Very small volume,
less alkaline, low BOD
Volatile organic
components toxic
emission
Particulates, Nitrous
oxides (Nox) Sulphur
dioxide (SO2)
Volatile organic
components (VOCs)

3. Noise and Vibration Pollution:

Both of these cause hazards to health. This pollution is caused by two
sources:
1. Dynamic sources: these are due to
Air jet,
Intermittent or periodic discharge of gas,
Fan noise,
Hydraulic pump noise,
Combustion flow generated noise.
2. Mechanical sources: these are due to impact of
Bearings and slide ways,
Tooth engagement of gears,
Electronically induced vibration in electric machines,
Stickslip motion due to friction and
Impact generated as a part of machine process.

Scope of Environment Management Standard

Must be based control of causes, not impact reactive

Must be address all management elements of control

Must be address Normal/Abnormal/ Emergency condition
Must have measurable parameters
Must be goal driven
Must be relevant to aspects
Must involve all
Must promote continual improvement
Management and not control/ eradication
EMS is managing risks (Aspects)
The essence of aspects management is to avoid high aspects,
manage medium aspects and live with low aspects.

Control Pollution by Applying Environmental

Management:
a) Hazardous substance Management/ Soil & Ground water
Pollution Prevent
Do not utilize banned chemical as required by local and
national regulations.
Obtained appropriate permits for hazardous substances
handling & Storage as required by local and national
regulation.
Take appropriate measures to prevent and control any risks of
environmental pollution.
Take appropriate measure to prevent & Control any risks of
environmental pollutions from hazardous substances release.
Verify the existence of sensitive receptors (e.g. rivers,
underground water etc.) close to production facilities and
implement special measures to prevent contamination where
needed.
b) Waste Management On site waste disposal as a required by local and national
regulation.
Deliver hazardous waste for offsite treatment and disposal
only to contractors licensed by appropriate competent
authority.
Handle and store hazardous waste in safe and
environmentally sound manner or control any risk of
environmental contamination.
Maintain waste containers and labels in an appropriate
condition.
Maintain waste inventory and tracking record.
c) Wastewater and Effluent Management Wastewater/effluent treatment and discharge as required by
local and national regulations.
Conduct regular wastewater monitoring as required by local
and national regulations.

Strictly comply with wastewater/effluents discharge limits as

required by local and national regulations.
Take immediate corrective actions in the event discharge
limits are exceeded.
Have a drainage system in place to convey wastewater to
treatment plant and /or final discharge points. Drainage layout
must be made available upon request. Drains must be
regularly cleaned and maintained.
Maintain wastewater treatment plant in safe operating
conditions to avoid any risk to environment and or human
health.
Water Management Obtain appropriate permits for water use/extraction as
required by local and national regulation
Maintain data regarding water use consumption .e.g. - wager
consumption data form water bills and meter reading.
Air Emissions Management Permits for air as required by local and national regulations.
Conduct regular air emissions monitoring- Sampling & testing.
Strictly comply with air emissions limits
Take immediate corrective actions in the event emissions
limits are exceeded
Maintain on a regular basis air emission control equipment.
Establish and inventory of sources related to air emission
points
Expands the inventory of ODS- (Ozone Depleting Substance)
containing equipment.
Inspect and maintain ODS containment equipment to prevent
the accidental release of substances.
Noise and Vibration Pollution To analyze the problem, isolate the source of noise and
vibration.
Reduction of noise or vibration by component redesign or
change of process technology.
Obtain appropriate permits for noise pollution as required by
local and national regulations.
Perform noise pollution assessments as required by local and
national regulation.
Conduct regular noise pollution monitoring as required by
local and national regulation.
Strictly comply with noise pollution limits as required by local
and national regulation.
Take immediate corrective actions in the event the noise
pollution limits are exceed.
Environmental Management System
Adopt environment policy
Have a mechanism in place to monitor environmental laws
and regulation changed to achieve compliance.

d)

e)

f)

g)

Appoint a member of management team for coordination of

environment management activates and ensure he/she is
properly trained.
Develop an emergency protocol to deal with environmental
incidents. The emergency protocol should include emergency
plan, trained emergency team and regular drills.
Provide regular environment training to impacted employees.
Continue Improvement

Plan
Reporting on status of
envirnmental objective
and target
Reporting on status of
compliance with
environmental regulartory
requirment
Management review

Delivery of servies
Environmental
Management
Permitting
Targeing and objective
Envirnmental regulatory
Compliance

Do

Quality and
Environmental Policy
Strategic Planning
Objective and target
Board Governace Policies

Internal and external

Audits
Chec
Corrective and
k preventing action
request system

Perfomance Reporitng

Act

Benefits of Environmental Management

Minimizing environmental liabilities
Maximize the efficient use of resources
Reduce waste
Demonstrate a good cooperative image
Build awareness of environmental concern among employees
Gain a better understanding of the environmental impacts of
business activities
Increase profit, improving environmental performance, through
more efficient operations.

Recommendation:

Bangladesh RMG industries which are already Composite Garments

Industry their needed to maintain Environmental Management Standard
and we should save our environment from the pollution contributed by
RMG industries. So ETP is mandatory. If these numerous number of dyeing
industries emit effluent without treatment into the rivers or narrow way
beside the cultivatable lands then river water will be polluted as well as
the fertility of land will be decreased respectively. The rivers Shitalakkha,
Burigonga and Turag are highly polluted by textile liquid waste. So we
have to stop pollution immediately.

Conclusion:
A certified environmental management proves that the business is taking
active steps to fulfil social & environment responsibilities. Environmentally
credible companies have a competitive edge in national and international
markets. The Environments managements helps the organization to be in
control of successfully manage the most significant environmental
aspects, e.g. emissions, waste-handling, utilize natural resources and
energy-efficiency together with compliance to environmental regulation.

References:
Pollution and its control in textile industry, by Laxman M.
Shinde,Final Year B.TECH,V.J.T.I. (articles)
Making Compliant Factory Raju M. Alam, (Book)
Websites
Overviews of ISO 14001:2004
(http://issuu.com/iso14001certification/docs/learn-iso14001-by-ppt-presentation) website References
Environmental Management in Textiles
(http://www.textiletodaybd.com/magazine/200809_issues/2009-apr/Environment.htm)