India-based Arvind Limited is investing in Ethiopia. The textile manufacturer announced a partnership with the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) to install new water-saving technology in Ethiopian industrial parks.
The parks will use Zero Liquid Discharge technology, which ensures that the facilities use the minimum amount of ground water and there is zero liquid discharge outside the parks.
Arvind Envisol, a subsidiary of Arvind Ltd., has already installed the Zero Liquid Discharge water treatment plant at Hawassa Industrial Park in Ethiopia, which has the capacity to create 11 million liters of waste water a day.
The initiative is part of an ambition industrialization plan established by the Ethiopian Investment Council (EIC) and Industrial Parks Development Corporation (IPDC) to boost the country’s Gross Domestic Product and generate employment. The plan includes 10 mega industrial parks in different regions of the country for various industries including textile and apparel, industrial machinery, footwear, and more.
Arvind and GoE will also commission a study on environmental sustainability in the textile and garment sectors in Ethiopia, to establish a baseline for the future impact on the environment of rapid industrialization in the country.
Punit Lalbhai, Arvind Ltd. executive director, described the plan as a “sustainable industrial development strategy for the whole of Africa to emulate.” He added, “We are happy to partner with Government of Ethiopia in this landmark initiative and hope that these joint efforts will go a long way towards bringing greater prosperity to the people of this great nation, while preserving the environment at the same time.”
