Global non-profit alliance Cascale has published Navigating Global Water Regulation: Implications for the Textile and Consumer Goods Sector, examining how intensifying water scarcity and tightening regulation are reshaping the operating environment for the apparel, textile, and wider consumer goods sector.

The apparel and textile industry alone consumes more than 93 billion cubic meters of water each year and generates around 20 per cent of global industrial wastewater, and despite water regulation accelerating globally, with governments tightening controls on water use, wastewater discharge and pollution, the UN has warned that the world has now entered an era of “global water bankruptcy”.

Cascale, formerly known as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, includes over 300 retailers, brands, manufacturers, governments, academics, and NGO/nonprofit affiliates around the globe, has published the report mapping evolving water policy across key production regions in Asia, EU, and US regions. It connects regulatory developments to operational, financial, and reputational risks, and outlines how companies can strengthen resilience as water becomes a strategic business concern alongside climate and supply chain due diligence.

There is significant regulatory momentum in China and Vietnam, continued but uneven enforcement across other Asian production countries, expanding disclosure requirements in the EU, and regulatory uncertainty in the US. Together, these trends underscore the need for companies to elevate water risk from a site-level issue to a governance and strategy priority.

“Preserving our planet’s freshwater supplies is a top priority: water is life. Across the globe, legislators are responding by introducing new regulations, and water is quickly becoming a defining constraint on how and where the industry can operate,” said Elisabeth von Reitzenstein, senior director of policy and public affairs at Cascale. “This analysis is designed to help companies move beyond reacting to individual laws and instead understand the bigger picture. When water risk is integrated into sourcing, governance, and performance management, it becomes possible to protect both business continuity and local communities.”

The report also outlines practical actions companies can take now, including mapping facilities in water-stressed basins, validating wastewater compliance, strengthening supplier data collection, and embedding water considerations into sourcing and contingency planning. These steps are increasingly critical as regulation shifts from focusing on efficiency alone toward source sustainability and foundational environmental performance.

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