Starting continuous improvement with a cleaner production assessment in an Austrian textile mill

This paper deals with the course and the results of a waste and emissions minimization project in an Austrian textile mill producing interlining fabrics. It was conducted within the Austrian PREPARE-project, which was designed to produce case studies in Austria to demonstrate the potential of the cleaner production approach to solve existing environmental problems of companies to our industry. The results proved the concept. In this mill, water use could be reduced by 30%, the COD of waste water by 30%, and 15% of the gas consumption of the dryers could be saved. The management stated at the end of the project early in 1993: “Suddenly we became aware of things we used to be blind to!”. The project was only the beginning of a continuing process.