Policy & Regulation
Textile Industry Water Pollutant Discharge Standard GB 4287-2026 Takes Effect with New Zebrafish Egg Acute Toxicity Indicator
Oct 20, 2026Source 中华人民共和国生态环境部75 views
Jointly issued by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the State Administration for Market Regulation, GB 4287-2026 takes effect on 1 September 2026, replacing four earlier standards including GB 4287-2012. For the first time it brings centralised textile wastewater treatment facilities under control and introduces zebrafish egg acute toxicity as an integrated toxicity indicator, while extending coverage to chemical fibre weaving and technical textiles.
To implement the Ecological and Environmental Code of the People's Republic of China, prevent pollution, improve eco-environmental quality and advance both textile production processes and pollution control technology, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the State Administration for Market Regulation have jointly issued the Discharge Standard of Water Pollutants for Textile Industry (GB 4287-2026), effective 1 September 2026.
The standard sets discharge control, monitoring and supervision requirements for textile industry dischargers and production facilities, and also governs water pollutant discharge from centralised textile wastewater treatment facilities. It replaces GB 4287-2012 and consolidates three further standards: GB 28936-2012 for silk reeling, GB 28937-2012 for wool textile and GB 28938-2012 for linen textile. First published in 1992 and first revised in 2012, this is its second revision.
Key revisions:
- Renamed Discharge Standard of Water Pollutants for Textile Industry, with a consolidated scope;
- Updated terms and definitions, clarified applicability of pollutant items and adjusted certain discharge limits;
- New zebrafish egg acute toxicity item and limit for dyeing and finishing wastewater and for effluent from centralised textile wastewater facilities, combining with physico-chemical indicators for dual control;
- Optimised indirect discharge requirements with differentiated controls by discharge destination, promoting source separation of textile and domestic wastewater and guiding enterprises into industrial parks;
- Refined baseline wastewater discharge volumes per unit of product.
Context: textiles are a pillar industry with long process chains, numerous product categories, high total water pollutant discharge and difficult treatment, with indirect discharge accounting for 93 percent. About 149,000 textile enterprises operate nationwide, 86 percent of them small and medium sized, with uneven treatment capabilities. The new standard broadens coverage to chemical fibre weaving and technical textiles, achieving full industry reach.