Establishing environmental standards and guidelines for potentially polluting industrial wastes: liquid effluents, air emissions and solid wastes, is an important first step for countries concerned about regulating industrial activities as part -of their environmental pollution control strategies. UNEP IE has confirmed the need for information on such guidelines from the fact that more than 10 percent of the technical/scientific inquiries handled by the UNEP IE Query-Response Service concern air emission standards, effluent standards and other regulatory requirements for industrial activities. To help in responding to these frequent requests, UNEP IE has set up an in-house database called Industry and Environment Emission Standards and Guidelines Information Clearinghouse (IE-ESGIC). UNEP IE feels that this information, even if not exhaustive, could be useful to its partners, and has therefore decided to publish IE-ESGIC Compendiums covering a :ange of industrial sectors. This compendium for the textile industry has been prepared to provide helpful information to governments, industry, international organizations and nongovernmental organizations, trade unions, research institutes and individuals that are interested in countries' effluent discharge standards for the industry.