UNEP urges textile environmental permit overhaul

NAIROBI – A new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has warned that the global transition to a circular textile value chain is being hindered by ‘fragmented’ and ‘stalled’ environmental permitting systems.

The study, which analyses the national environmental laws of 10 major textile-producing nations – including China, India, Bangladesh, and Turkey – reveals that while environmental permits remain the ‘key mechanism’ for managing industrial harm, the international guidance supporting them has not been updated in nearly two decades.