TEXTILE FINISHING INDUSTRY

IN GERMANY

The textile industry has played an important role in the development of

human civilisation over several millennia.
Coal, iron/steel and cotton were the principal materials upon which the
industrial revolution was based.
World-wide production of cotton and synthetic fibres and world population
since 1750.

In the past ten years Germany lost about one third of its textile
production.
Finishing of woven fabrics has the highest percentage of the overall
production amount followed by finishing of yarn, knit fabric and textile
printing.
Production of the textile finishing industry in Germany (1989-1998); the
class other textile finishing covers production of ribbons, thermoprinting, coating and laminating.

The synthetic fibres (including staple and filament viscose fibres)

dominate the kind of processedt extile substrates.
Even for garments the percentage of synthetic fibres is about 50%
whereas their predominant role in the sub-sector of technical textile is
not surprising.
The distribution of the quantities of different product sectors of the most
important textile substrates (fibre types) processed in Germany in 1999.

The drastic decrease of production inthe past tenzears correlates with

employment. In addition increased productivity was also leading to less
employment.
Employment in the both in whole German textilei ndustry and textile
finishing industry reduced nearly three times from 1980 to 1998.

Employment in the German textile industry.

Since the eighties the foreign trade deficit grew drastically reflecting the
difficult economic environment Germany has to face.
Many industries can hardly compete with standard quality products.
Thus many industries go for specialities and high quality products.
Import andexport of textile to/of Germany 1980 - 1998.

The cost for consumption of materials (especially expenses forcolorants,

textile auxiliaries and basic chemicals) and personnel costs play the
prominent role.
Other costs include services from other industries and craft companies,
energy costs and also environmental costs like wastewater fees, fees for
solidwaste disposal, operation costs for wastewater (pre-)treatment
plants, etc.

The percentage of 8% is
relevant but not highly
significant.
The
most
important
environmental
cost
factor is for water
supply and waste- water
disposal.

A complete MASS STREAM OVERVIEW for

textile finishing industries allows the
calculation of input and emission factors.

Similar industries
compared.

can

be

In addition, on base of
organic carbon, a quantitative
comparision of emissions to
water and to air is possible.

In the textile finishing industries wastewater discharge is of highest

envrionmental relevance.
It contains most of the chemical load, the emission to air especially from
stenter frames in case of raw fixation of synthetic fibres or final
finishing) and energy consumption.
In addition attention has to be paid to storage and handling of chemicals
and minimisation and disposal of solid wastes.
The chemical input is up to 1 kg/kg processed textiles which is high.
Most of them are released to wastewater.
Concerning the organic load, 20-100 g organic carbon/kg processed
textiles are emitted which is 15-250 times higher than emissionsto air.
The emissions to water are predominant.

During textilefinishing heating of water and air is required and electricity

for running the machines.
In addition energy is needed for drying operations.

The percentage of energy consmption of the textile finishing industry with

respect to the overall energy consumption of all German industrial sectors
is in the order of 1%.

Considering the total annual production overall specific energy consumption

factors can be calculated. The latter indicates that the specific
consumption remainded on a rather high level and could not be reduced
during fifteen years.