PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The Lithuanian textile industry accounts for some 30% of national industrial production. It consists of over 50 major companies and employs over 35.000 workers. The industry thus provides important opportunities to improve the environmental impact of Lithuanian industry. Through practical implementation of clean production practices in the textile industry - including good housekeeping, the use of environmentally benign auxiliaries and environmentally improved processes - the project seeks to foster the wider adoption of clean production processes. This will serve to reduce discharges to water and will encourage water and energy savings by textile companies. In addition, success among the 8 pilot companies chosen for the project will create the conditions for the continuation and wider dissemination of clean production methods throughout the industry. Results will be elaborated into a textile industry specific audit method, with checklists and standards for CP practices set out for the industry. This is seen as an important step in environmental protection in Lithuania. The industry put a heavy environmental burden on the country, and particularly on the Baltic Sea, through its use of toxic dyestuffs and auxiliaries. This is particularly important as the industry is set to grow, with the EU providing wide market opportunities. The adoption of clean production processes by the textile industry is expected to contribute to the protection of the environment while at the same time improving the competitive position of the Lithuanian textile industry. The main objective of the project is to foster the practical implementation of cleaner production (CP) practices in 8 selected textile companies in Lithuania and contribute to the dissemination and implementation of such CP practices throughout the Lithuanian textile industry. The objective is threefold: (1) To create 8 examples of the successful implementation of CP Projects in textile companies; (2) To coach 10 Lithuanian experts in CP auditing in the textile industry; (3) To investigate the socio-economic consequences of CP in the Lithuanian textile industry. In practical terms, it is hoped that the project will lead to reductions in the use of raw materials and energy, as well as in the creation of waste, of 15-25% with no- and low-cost options. With high-cost options, savings in raw materials and energy use and waste water discharge are expected to be in the range of 30-70%. In the longer term, the project will result in a technical information kit for CP auditing in the textile industry and in a national seminar on CP for the textile industry as a whole. A summary report of the project will be provided to the EU, including evaluation of the environmental and socio-economic impacts of the actions taken, and an assessment of incentives and constraints for CP at the factory level.