Assessment of Air Pollution around Textile Production Sites and Development of Reduction and Adaptation Measures
- Client
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) – Sector Programme Social and Ecological Transformation of Textile Supply Chains
- Location
- Pakistan, Bangladesh
- Duration
- August 2024 - August 2025
- Services
- Environmental Assessment
Details
The assignment constituted Module 2 of the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles Supplier Decarbonisation Programme. It assessed the environmental and community-level implications of air pollution associated with textile and clothing production sites in Karachi and Dhaka. The study examined typical textile-sector air pollutants, potential health and quality-of-life effects, available evidence concerning links between production activities and surrounding air quality, and the capacity of regulatory and health institutions to monitor pollution and its impacts. It also incorporated the perspectives of communities located near production sites to inform feasible pollution-reduction and adaptation measures.
- Espire, working with Reed Consulting Bangladesh, assessed available evidence on textile-sector air-pollution sources, exposure pathways and potential effects on neighbouring communities. The team reviewed air-quality and health information, pollution-detection methods, institutional monitoring capacity, data availability and limitations affecting attribution of observed pollution to textile facilities relative to other urban and industrial sources.
- Espire contributed to the design and delivery of two focus-group discussions with community representatives, rights-holders and other local stakeholders in Karachi and Dhaka. These consultations captured community perceptions of pollution exposure, health and livelihood concerns, and the adequacy of existing responses. The analysis triangulated documentary evidence with stakeholder perspectives without assuming causal attribution where monitoring evidence was insufficient. Findings were used to identify potential reduction and adaptation measures, responsible actors, implementation priorities and requirements for research on environmental assessment with community resilience and stakeholder-informed action.