In this study, Kombolecha Textile factory was one of recruited sample to assess resource consumption and environment tradeoffs. It is the oldest and highest technology user in garment industry. The company was established in 1986 and later reorganized in Nov 1992 by proclamation No 146.1998. Under the then National Textile Corporation with a designated and attainable capacity of 22 million squatter meters of fabrics per annum, company import and export goods and services. Kombolecha trade route passed though the main roads of Afar to Djibouti, which is still nodal for import and exportable trades in Ethiopia. The main customers of the company’s products were regional distributors, wholesalers, super market and garment factories for fabrics and knits wear factories and blanket plants for yarn. The main raw material for the production of fabrics and yarn is domestic cotton. Imported dyestuffs and chemicals are used dyeing and finishing products. Utilities used to produce products such as water and steam, compressed air and furnace oil, electricity, all of which are locally available in sufficient quantities. Water is major inputs used to produce distinct brands of cotton final products. The company used both groundwater and ‘Woreq’ river water source during production processes. In sum, Kombolecha Textile Company has six groundwater wells, which used to produce final textile products. However, this company was not reused the treated waste after production.
The factory’s final products included; cotton fabrics such as ‘abudeji’, ‘Mulmul’, pulpin, khaki drills, twills, sheeting, terry towel, canvas; and also yarn. Currently, the company has 2206 employees, who are hired both permanent and temporary, professionals and experts. Foreign consultants and research and marketing team have also established to improve company products. Final liquid and solid wastes were gathered and soled to retailers and remain put in to garbage. The company solid wastes sold for traders and individuals whereas liquid waste to Borkena river after treatment. The company still was not yet recycling liquid waste after production processes. According to data collection result, the factory consumed 6979m3 water per week and emits 2001 m3 liquid waste to Borkena River. None of this waste water was
recycled for further consumption process.
Kombolecha Textile factory used the groundwater for cleaning machine and painting of clothes. The source of water is ground well and Worqa river besides to tap water. After extracting ground water and diverted
Worqa river, the factory treated the water and checked in laboratory so as to reduce negative externalities on cloth and garment products. Liquid waste emits to factory’s prepared waste collection and filtration site. Meanwhile, the treated waste disposed to Borkena river. This waste water flows to Borkena river and used for urban irrigation and livestock drinks. Textile factories consumed water resource for cooling, dye bath, other fabric preparation, and finishing and color printings purposes. In most factories, the residual hot water was used for dyeing bats. However, factories’ residual water directly released to waste collection tanker and discharged into the river.
According to Textile Company’s water consumption intensity, almost 60% of water used for wet processing of undyed and unprocessed fabrics in to finished products. At each stage of the garment and textile product production such as fabric preparation, dyeing, printing and finishing used water either for chemical bath or remove impurities of excess chemicals used for printing activities. Kombolcha textile factor was treating waste water better than other factories after production process and emit wastes to Borkena river. However, china Textile Company consumed groundwater and directly emitted liquid wastes without treatment to Worka River, which is tributary of Borkena river. These rivers used for cattle drink as well as small urban irrigation by farmers. However, this study confirmed that none of the factories were recycling and reusing the discharged waste.
In this study, beer producing companies were samples and hence provided information about water consumption intensity to produce distinct beer and soft drinks. However, there was no soft drink producer factory yet in Kombolecha industrial zone. Bji brewery producing company was, therefore, the only firm participated to compute the water consumption and waste recycling processes. This factory consumed water for bottle washing, refrigeration, equipment cleaning, boilers for pasteurization, and sterilization, and final beer product.
Bji brewery factory used water, by its end use for consumptive, cooling, processing, and other purposes. However, company’s most water intensity was used for production of beer, cooling and pasteurization. Among the surveyed factories water consumption intensity, this brewery factory was consumed more water but its solid wastes reused for livestock production and food stuffs. It was directly discharge water waste to Borkena River. The brewery factory solid waste sold and distributed for farmers and households who engaged on fatten and dairy activities. However, used groundwater source for production purposes and
discharged waste without treatment. According to the municipal office (2016), this company, nevertheless, was not integrating the social, economic and environmental factors in the period of resource consumption. Kombolecha metal and steel producing company in short form KOSPI is the only single factory established in Kombolecha industrial zone. The factory used water for cleaning, treat, coat and paint metal parts. Water is mainly used for rinsing components after the various chemical processes and washing chemical baths. Out of total water consumption, 70 percent of water consumption used for processing, and the readings share of water consumed for cooling and other purposes in the factory such as drinking, cleaning and gardening and forestation. This metal company was emitted liquid waste to Woreka and Borkena river without treatment. Liquid waste is not reused and recycled so as to keep the water source degradation and environment depletion.
KOSPI is a member of the MIDROC Ethiopia technology group established in 1999 and is produced in steel sheet shearing, ribbed sheet forming, wire drawing process, wire galvanization, batch galvanization, nails, shoe tack and wood screw manufacturing, steel pole fabrication (swaging process, continuous MIG welding, etc.) and steel structure fabrication and installation (KOSPI, 2017). It is built on a total land holding area of 60 thousand sq. meters. The company produces various types of products and steel structures such as steel poles, building steel structures, power transmission and communication towers, fuels and water tanks (horizontal and vertical), cargo bodies, agricultural trailers and trailed tanks, canopies, refuse containers, and other customized engineering products. This study, in sum, included factory’s water consumption growth and green environment tradeoffs in Kombolecha industrial Zone by applying a socio- eco efficiency framework.