Esquel Group
Subject Heading
Wastewater treatment plants in Gaoming, Southern China (Environmental protection)
Background
The Esquel Group is the world’s leading cotton shirt manufacturer with total revenues reaching US$500 million last year.
The Company has a diversified workforce of more than 43,000 located in 8 countries. Our manufacturing hub consists of
textile spinning mills, dyeing facilities, design labs and sewing lines in the southern Chinese riverside town of Gaoming.
Esquel also grows cotton in China’s remote northwestern region.
Reason for action
Despite building a manufacturing hub in a small southern town in China, there was no proper water treatment facility nearby.
In 1999, Esquel made a serious corporate commitment to environmental protection including plans to build modern, highcapacity wastewater treatment plants in this area. Previously factories had small wastewater treatment plants on their factory
grounds. The objective was to reduce the overall environmental impact and meet national water treatment requirements.
Process
Dyeing and post-processing facilities produce over 19,500 metric tons of wastewater per day with high COD and pH in the
water being major concerns.
The Esquel Group has cooperated with local environmental protection bodies to develop modern wastewater treatment
plants. In the middle of 2000, two such plants were constructed at a total investment cost of US$4.06 million.
The total capacity of the treatment plants reaches 29,000 tons of wastewater each day. Since high pH is one of the
byproducts of dyeing wastewater, 10 tons of sulfuric acid is also added everyday to help neutralize the toxins. Consequently
to help lower the total amount of acid, from the boilers we pump exhaust gas, which is already highly acidic, into the
wastewater before discharging it into the atmosphere.
Result
By using UASB technology, the process produces nearly zero solid waste. In addition, by using acidic waste gas from
factory boilers, we can effectively reduce daily Sulfuric acid input from 10 tons to 5 tons. The result is that soot and acidic
gas from the boilers are effectively removed.
Action
Result
Properly treated effluent
Clean environment and improved water quality
Which meets national standards
Smart use of waste gas
Lowers dependence on sulfuric acid and thus reduces air pollution
Employ local experts in
wastewater treatment
& plant development.
Provides local institutions with valuable know-how in wastewater
treatment development for various industries
Pump waste gas in to wastewater
Reduces the amount of soot formation, reducing contamination
during the spinning process.
Lesson Learnt
To be a good corporate citizen is very important. Any activities of the manufacturing process should be well maintained and
monitored. The investment in wastewater treatment plants is only a small portion of the total investment in this area.
However, this investment will protect the area where we invested. In other words, we are protecting our investment.
Moreover, all the factories of Esquel Group will have ISO 14000 certification at the end of this year. Each factory will start
their own initiative in reducing the use of resources afterward.
Global Compact Submission Form
Esquel Enterprises Ltd.
1
Name of
Company/Organization
2
Date of Submission
3
Prepared by:
May 31, 2001
Name
Mr. Robin Li
Organizational Unit/Position
Chief Human Resources Officer
E-Mail
LiRo@esquel.com
Telephone
(852) 2960 6288
Fax
(852) 2960 2289
4
Contact Details
Name
Mr. Leo Jar
Organizational Unit/Position
Manager, Sustainable Development
E-Mail
JarL@esquel.com
Telephone
(852) 2960 6840
Fax
(852) 2960 2185