Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan and Vietnam have joined forces to fight chemical pollution.

They have launched a program to manage and reduce hazardous chemicals in their textiles industries. The program will provide technical support and tools for small and medium manufacturers to improve their knowledge and management of hazardous chemicals, guiding them to manage risks to workers, and eventually eliminate the worst chemicals from their production processes. Processing mills often lack the awareness and technical expertise needed to manage chemicals.

The five-year program will bring the four countries together to align public policy on the textile sector with international best practice, including on supply chain transparency, investment for chemical management and eco-innovation, and occupational health and safety, creating the enabling environment needed to phase out chemicals of concern.

Employing over ten million people, the four nations’ textile sectors account for nearly 15 per cent of global clothing exports. However, the economic benefits of the industry come at a cost. Wet processing factories, where materials are turned into fabrics through bleaching, printing, dyeing, finishing and laundering, typically use 0.58 kg of chemical inputs for every kg of fabric produced. These compounds leak into the environment at all phases of the textile lifecycle, from production to use, disposal and recycling.