A literature review on environmental management in the textile industry focused on waste management

Abstract

The poor management of various types of waste generated by the textile industry has worsened due to the current high demand, negatively impacting the environment. Multiple methods were employed to evaluate 2,275 articles obtained from ScienceDirect and IEEE, all related to environmental management in the textile industry, with a focus on waste management. Rayyan was used to selectively identify the articles most relevant to the research, resulting in 21 selected articles. Additionally, PRISMA was utilized to create a flowchart that outlines the number of included and excluded articles. This study aims to assess various research studies on environmental management in the textile industry, concentrating specifically on waste management. The novelty of this research lies in identifying opportunities for improvement in sustainability practices within the textile sector. Our findings revealed the most significant pollutants the textile industry produces, including chemical products, greenhouse gases, textile waste, and microplastics. Chemical products accounted for 57.1% of the 20 selected articles. The impact of these contaminants is particularly concerning, as 70.8% of the water resources analyzed are primarily contaminated due to the chemical substances used in textile manufacturing. Furthermore, various potential solutions were evaluated. The most frequently mentioned solutions in the articles were management strategies (28.6%) and chemical solutions (19.0%). Additionally, methods aimed at reducing the environmental impact of textile industries were examined, with the circular economy mentioned in five of the selected articles and absorption cited in four articles.