A groundbreaking study has revealed that rainwater, river water, and seawater could serve as viable alternatives to groundwater in Bangladesh’s textile dyeing industry. This initiative aims to reduce excessive groundwater consumption through responsible practices by both manufacturers and consumers.
The research, published in the International Journal of Science and Research Management, was conducted by a team of experts from various institutions, including Jashore University of Science and Technology and Jahangirnagar University. The findings were elaborately discussed at the International Conference on Emerging Technologies for Sustainable Development (ICETSD 2025) held on February 22, 2025. With the textile sector responsible for 90% of Bangladesh’s exports and employing four million workers—80% of whom are women.
At present the dyeing industries heavily rely on groundwater sources - staggering 4.1 billion liters of water daily - which causes a drop of groundwater level by 2-3 meters annually, and projected to fall by 5.1 meters by 2030, which is alarming. Though fastness properties of cotton was found poor, in case of polyester it was excellent. If you use alternate water sources you can save excessive use of groundwater daily, it was found in the case of fabric dyeing, which retained 40-60% color strength properties achieved with conventional water sources were replicated without modifications to the dyeing recipe.
Researchers stress on the suitability of alternative water sources in dyeing industries, instead of very useful groundwater. By the end of December 2024, the Bangladeshi Garments Industry has earned $50 Billion from exports, an 8.3% increase in the past year where more than four million of which 80% workers are women.
Lead researcher Mohammad Mobarak Hossain stated, “If implemented at scale, these alternatives could significantly reduce groundwater depletion, aligning Bangladesh’s textile sector with global sustainability goals.”
The study aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 12 (responsible consumption and production) and urges industry leaders to invest in greener dyeing technologies. Researchers call on policymakers and manufacturers to adopt sustainable water usage practices to secure the future of Bangladesh’s textile industry.
The research team included Mohammad Mobarak Hossain, Dr. Md. Aminul Islam, Dr. Chalchal Kumar Kundu, and Tarikul Islam of Jashore University of Science and Technology; Professor Mohammad Majibur Rahman of Jahangirnagar University; Alok K. Das of the University of Memphis, USA; Ummay Habiba from BGMEA; Md Nakibul Kawser from CTEC; Siam Sarower Jamil of Delhi University; and Waziha Farha of BUBT
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