The European Union integrated pollution prevention and control directive and its impact on the wool textile industry

Council directive 96/61/EC on integrated pollution prevention and control was agreed by the Council of the European Union on 24 September 1996. It wilt have far reaching effects on industrial installations throughout the European Union. This paper summarises the directive's provisions and attempts to predict its impact on wool textile wet processors. The actions being taken by trade associations to ensure that the guidelines are fair and reasonable are also reviewed.