Garment water reuse shifts from pilots

GENEVA – Bangladesh’s ready-made garments sector, which accounts for nearly 80% of the country’s export earnings, is accelerating a shift towards industrial water reuse – driven not just by environmental pressure but by hard economics.

A new World Bank analysis, highlights the scale of the challenge facing the sector. In Greater Dhaka alone, an estimated 5.3 million cubic metres of wastewater are generated every day, with close to 70% coming from water-intensive processing industries. The region generates around 40% of national GDP and hosts more than 5,000 factories, yet water stress is intensifying as the limits of the traditional linear model – abstract, use, treat, discharge – become increasingly apparent.