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  1. Scope and Significance The global textiles-and-apparel (T&A) sector spans fibres and yarns (upstream), fabrics, and finished goods—ready-made garments (RMG), home textiles, and increasingly, technical textiles . Collectively, the sector represented ≈ 3.7 % of world merchandise exports in 2022 , highlighting its structural role in industrialization and employment (World Trade Organization [WTO], 2024a). Asia anchors the supply base, with integrated production chains linking agriculture, chemistry, design, and logistics. 2. Global Structure and Recent Dynamics 2.1 Regional Concentration and Value-Chain Depth Asia’s share of world textile exports reached ≈ 70 % in 2022; China alone contributed over 40 % of sectoral value-added, reflecting full-chain integration (WTO, 2024a). Global merchandise trade rebounded modestly in 2025, though tariffs and supply-chain diversification redirected flows toward Europe and the Middle East (WTO, 2025; Reuters, 2025a; Reuters, 2025b). 2...

Textile wet-processing (desizing, scouring, bleaching, dyeing, printing, finishing) generates effluents with unique physicochemical characteristics. This paper provides clear definitions of key parameters — particularly Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) — then expands to other critical metrics: total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), pH, temperature, electrical conductivity (EC)/salinity, and dissolved oxygen (DO). It summarises typical values observed in textile effluents, illustrates how untreated discharge impacts aquatic ecosystems and soil, and discusses implications for textile technologists and wet-processing operations. 1. Definitions  1.1 BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) BOD measures the amount of dissolved oxygen aerobic microorganisms consume to decompose organic matter in a water sample, typically over 5 days at 20 °C (expressed as BOD₅) (UGA Extension, 2022). UGA Extension In simple terms: imagine the water as a “b...

The textile value chain—from raw fibre cultivation, to wet-processing, finishing, use, and end-of-life—incorporates a wide array of chemical substances. Among these, certain classes pose elevated risks to human health, worker safety, environment and product safety. This article provides a detailed review of (1) heavy metals in textiles, and (2) other key hazardous substance classes (azo dyes / aromatic amines, phthalates, PFAS, biocides/antimicrobials, flame-retardants, solvent-carriers, micro-contaminants) with relevance to textiles. For each class it reviews typical uses within textile systems, hazard mechanisms, regulatory/standard context and implications for textile technologists. The goal is to offer a unified hazard-management lens for the textile technologist, researcher and policy-analyst. 1. Introduction Textile production remains a chemically-intensive industry, especially in the wet-processing (dyeing, printing, finishing) and coating/lamination phases. The combination o...