The ZDHC Foundation is turning to Bluesign, a leading compliance authority, to help global apparel companies make the switch to more sustainable chemical management.
ZDHC [Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals] added Bluesign as one of its certification standards, allowing Bluesign-approved apparel, leather and footwear chemical products to align with ZDHC Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL) Level 3, the highest level of conformance. The move means chemical suppliers can now use Bluesign-issued certificates to demonstrate that their chemical products conform with ZDHC’s MRSL Level 3 environmental regulations.
“For many years, we have seen the industry try to resolve complex issues, sometimes in isolation. We are proud the approach that Bluesign brought to the market 18 years ago will support the ZDHC initiative of convergence of chemical management in our industry,” Jill Dumain, CEO of Bluesign Technologies, said. “This initiative also provides a clear value and understanding of the possibilities when the industry works together towards the common good.”
As a chemical compliance leader, Bluesign uses a scientific chemical assessment to evaluate the potential hazards of 20,000 chemical formulations in its comprehensive positive list. Bluesign’s assessment has approved more than 11,000 commercially available chemical products that are suitable for leather and textile production. These chemical products collectively form the Bluesign Bluefinder—an online safe chemical product list for the leather and textile industries that helps companies effectively manage chemicals and select safer alternatives for their supply chain operations. Bluesign has also banned more than 600 products based on the industry’s Manufacturing Restricted Substances Lists (MRSL) and Restricted Substance Lists (RSL).
The aim for Bluesign has been to promote effective chemical management, protect consumer safety and reduce negative environmental impacts through its comprehensive onsite assessments and product stewardship services. As such, Bluesign can provide services to cover other ZDHC chemical compliance requirements, including ChemCheck, a ZDHC MRSL Conformity Certificate for formulators that enables them to share verification information with customers; InCheck, a new chemical inventory standard for input stream management, and ZDHC MRSL level 1 and level 2 services.
Related Stories
Global chemistry companies, including CHT, lauded the new partnership for its potential to impact effective compliance management and promote more sustainable supply chain practices.
“CHT has been a Bluesign system partner for many years due to the comprehensive Bluesign approach on chemical management. Also, in supporting ZDHC from their early years, we acknowledge the achievements the ZDHC Foundation has now reached,” CHT noted. “Consequently, CHT is fully supporting this step made by Bluesign and ZDHC to work together for the benefit of the textile and leather industry supply chain.”