An Empirical Analysis Of The Relationship Between Water Footprint And Economic Development In Chinese Textile Industry

Water footprint is a comprehensive index which can measure the occupation of human social economic activities on water resources. Now it’s a hot spot in the field of water resources research. Textile industry is a traditional pillar industry of the national economy and an important industry of the people’s livelihood. However, it is a typical high water consumptive and high water polluting industry. In recent years, China’s textile industry has achieved rapidly economic growth. At the same time, the problem of water resources is becoming more and more serious. Systematically studying the relationship between the water footprint of China’s textile industry and economic development has great potential and important significance of targeted controlling and optimizing the utilization of water resources, relieving the contradictions of water resources and realizing the sustainable development of economy.Based on the water footprint theory, this paper firstly gives an exact definition of the water footprint of China’s textile industry from the industrial level, and calculates and analysis the water footprint of China’s textile industry and its child industries in the period time of 2001—2012. The results show that, the blue water footprint and the original grey water footprint of China’s textile industry have a rising trend overall, and the residuary grey water footprint shows a trend of declining firstly, then rising, finally fluctuating.Then this paper quantitative decomposes the three factors which cause the changes of the water footprint of China’s textile industry by using the Laspeyres Index Complete Decomposition Model. The results show that the change of the water footprint is most affected by the Strength Effect, then the Growth Effect, then the Structure Effect.On this basis, this paper empirical analysis the long-term trend of the relationship between the water footprint of China’s textile industry and economic development by using the EKC, and the short-term change of the relationship between the water footprint of China’s textile industry and economic development by using the Tapio Decoupling Elastic Analysis Model. The results show that the relationship between the water footprint and economic development is in line with EKC, and the form of the curve of the blue water footprint, the original grey water footprint, the residuary grey water footprint and economic development is inverted U shape, inverted N shape and N shape. In addition, the relationship between the water footprint of China’s textile industry and economic development doesn’t realize decoupling.Finally this paper puts forward targeted advices for textile industrial water conservation and emission reduction:first, strengthening technology innovation and fully carrying out Cleaner Production; second, promoting economic restructuring and vigorously developing circular economy; third, revising and completing the policy systems, establishing and improving the indicators systems; forth, improving the public consciousness of environment protection and completing social supervision systems.