Nine out of ten Tunisian textile companies in Bizerte, Nabeul and Monastir that have benefited from the A-RESET project (Support for Reforms in the Water Sector in Tunisia) have significantly reduced their dependence on municipal and groundwater abstraction, with an average reduction in water consumption of 14%, according to the Textile Technical Centre (CETTEX).
With the help of this center, under Component 4 of this project implemented by the Bureau de la Planification et des Equilibres Hydrauliques of the Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Centre International des Technologies de l’Environnement (CITET) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), these companies have managed to save more than 230,000 m³ of water per year, enough to meet the annual needs of more than 12,600 people.
Over the course of the project (2022/2024), these companies have been helped to assess their resource consumption throughout the denim washing and dyeing process, with the aim of reducing the water footprint of denim production and limiting pressure on water resources, particularly groundwater.
According to CETTEX, some of the supported companies were able to reduce their water consumption by up to 65%.
The recommendations based on the principles of reduce, reuse and recycle that emerged from this project concerned water, energy and chemicals.
Of the 87 recommendations proposed, 25 were implemented during the project period, mobilizing private investment of 5.1 million dinars.
These efforts resulted in significant savings of 1 million dinars per year and an average return on investment of 20%.
According to CETTEX, these results illustrate how improving resource efficiency can be both environmentally and economically beneficial.
In light of these results, the Textile Technical Centre plans to extend this approach to other segments of the textile industry and other similar projects to help the sector move towards a more sustainable future.
According to a survey by the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES), the average water consumption for a pair of jeans is estimated at 55 liters, excluding the dyeing and washing stages.
The survey, published in 2019, points to the over-exploitation of water in the governorate of Monastir, the country’s leading denim producer.