Chemicals Consumers and Workers Safety & Cleaner Textile

Processing

This factsheet informs you about the use of less hazardous chemicals and a safe and clean production for workers (cleaner textile processing), and the environment as well as safe products for the consumers. It provides you with information and concrete actions on chemicals use, especially in the produc-tion and treatment of yarn and fabrics.

Provided by:

Chemical use impacts (red boxes) in the ‘fiber to fashion’ chain.

The textile case Chemicals are used everywhere in the production of goods so also in the tex-

tile chain. Apart from the pesticides and fertilizers in the natural fiber produc-

tion, the ‘big’ issue in the textile chain is the use of chemicals in bleaching,

dyeing, printing and finishing. Many special features of textiles depend on the

treatment of fibers and fabric with chemicals in the ‘wet-processing’ steps.

Important to realize is that decisions on color, prints, shine, feel and perfor-

mance (like shrink-free, fire resistant, easy iron etc.) have impacts on chemi-

cals to be used. Thus the base of the chemicals use lies in the design choices.

From there it is important what specific chemicals are used and how they are

used in the textile processing. The textile processing stages usually are

‘hidden’ behind the CMT manufacturer or buying agent, and the use of harm-

ful chemicals during these stages could be harmful for the textile workers and

may leave traces in the final product and thus appear to the consumer.

Cotton and wool

Man-made fibers

Recycled fibers

Energy use

Water use

Waste water

Chemicals

Social Compliance

Index: Factsheet

The textile case

The environmental/

social issue

The supply chain

approach

What to focus on and

how to improve?

Inform the consumer

Get informed, aware,

inspired and challenged

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The environment and health issue Chemicals can have a very diverse effect on the envi-

ronment and humans. The prefix “hazardous” or

“toxic” refers to the potential negative impacts on

environment, workers and consumers. On environ-

mental pollution, water pollution is the most striking

for the textile industry thus threatening water life and

water supply. Inhalation in lungs and ingestion into

the stomach concerns notably the textile workers,

direct skin contact also affects the consumer.

The risk of chemicals is depending on toxicity or haz-

ardousness of the chemical and extent of exposure to

workers and consumers and emission into the envi-

ronment.

Workers or Consumer risk = Toxicity of chemicals

AND Exposure

Environmental Risk = Toxicity of chemicals AND

Emissions

So for both risks the basic toxicity of the chemical is

a crucial factor, the more toxic a chemical the less

exposure or emission can be accepted. Specifically

for carcinogenic chemicals the exposure or emission

should be zero, thus the chemical can be forbidden

(think of the azo-dyes which can be transformed into

a carcinogenic form).

In this factsheet we address the toxicity and the expo-

sure to workers and consumers. Textile workers can

be exposed daily to too high concentrations of chem-

icals which they are working within the wet-

processing. By accident they can even be exposed to

very high concentrations. Consumers might be ex-

posed to (very) low concentrations while wearing

garments. Both workers and consumers can be ex-

posed to direct skin contact with chemicals which

can cause allergies, irritations or skin diseases. Inha-

lation and ingestion of (very) toxic chemicals is an

exposure risk for textile-mill workers. It might lead to

direct dizziness, nausea and irritation. On the longer

term malfunctioning of the body, severe illnesses

and even cancer and infertility can arise, depending

on the toxicity (or hazardousness) of the chemicals.

In this factsheet we focus on the regulations

(REACH) and tools (Restricted Substances List,

Manufacturer Restricted Substances List) on the haz-

ardousness of chemicals and on the good working

practices in order to create a safe working environ-

ment (Occupational Health and safety), next to this

we focus on the approach and possibilities for clean-

er textile processing with less hazardous chemicals

and more efficient chemicals use, thus less environ-

mental pollution.

Scheme:

Working range and purpose of 3 ‘chemical’ strategies on con-

sumers, workers and the environment.

SAFE Fashion

(consumers)

Safe use

(workers)

Environmental

Protection

RSL/REACH <--less hazardous-->

Occupational Health and Safety

(OHS) <----less exposure---->

Cleaner Production (CP) <----less pollution----->

What to focus on and how to improve?

For protecting the consumer and the workers several

strategies can be followed:

Replacement of hazardous substances by less

or non hazardous ones.

Improvement of processes and protection of

workers so that no harmful exposure takes

place.

Optimizing existing processing techniques on

efficiency and changing to new technologies:

more efficient and less (harmful) chemicals

use.

Containment and treatment of chemically

polluted waste streams (see: factsheet Waste

Water).

Within each strategy there are two fields to work on

improvements:

A. Product design and fabric selection

B. Screening, selecting and working with suppliers

C. Inform the consumer about chemical use during

production

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The supply chain approach As already mentioned the focus in the textile chain lies on the production and treatment of yarns and fabric.

Especially the wet-processing in general and specifically the pre-treatment, dyeing, printing and finishing. But

also ‘earlier’ production steps like mercerizing, bleaching and de-sizing of cloth or yarn and the scouring/

washing of the raw natural fibre, contribute largely to the use of harmful chemicals and water pollution.

Chemicals use in the basic fiber cultivation (cotton and wool) or synthesis (man-made fibers) are dealt with

in the respective factsheets.

The use of chemicals in the supply chain already is an issue of concern for many brands. Through a restricted

substances list approach brands strive to comply with legislation on the ban and restriction of the most

harmful chemicals primarily from a consumer protection point of view. Suppliers are required to guarantee

that legally restricted chemicals are not used or do not exceed limit values. Very often that guarantee is lim-

ited to signing a declaration by the supplier in order to hold him legally responsible. But for the larger brands

production audits and product tests are getting more and more common. The attention to restricted sub-

stances is primarily important to prevent the exposure of consumers to hazardous chemicals while wearing

the garments. But increasingly workers and environmental safety is taken into consideration.

Key wet-processing steps with relevant chemical use are:

Washing and scouring of fibers and yarn

Bleaching of yarn and cloth

Mercerizing of yarn and cloth

Dyeing of yarn and cloth

Printing of cloth and garment

Finishing of cloth and garment

Washing of treated yarn, cloth and garment These approaches have been most developed and regulated in the western world. The developing world,

where most of the textile production takes place, is lagging behind. Much depend on the requirements Euro-

pean and North American clients pose upon their suppliers.

For a solid guarantee on compliance with restricted substances and further minimization of chemical risks

from a workers safety and health point of view, a close cooperation with the textile processing supply chain is

necessary.

A. Product design and fabric selection

Like already mentioned, the general rule for product design is that with every specific fabric

features like shrink-proof, wrinkle-free, fire-resistant, easy-iron, water-repellant, stain-

resistant, anti-piling etcetera more chemical treatment of yarn or fabric is needed. This

also counts for feel and shine and … colour!

Very relevant for workers and product safety are the colour choices in design and fabric

selection. The dyeing process is potentially one of the most polluting with many different

harmful dye-stuffs and other chemicals to help the dyeing process and to give a good

(deep) shade and fastness. Unfortunately it is very difficult to give a general rule on more

or less harmful colours. The simple rule that no dyeing – thus using the natural colour of

the fiber – is best, but results in an unfashionable limitation of colour design. Dyestuffs

from natural origin are often seen and presented as sustainable, but can also be very harm-

ful, notably indigo! Thus it is important to look at the whole system of fiber, dyestuff and

dyeing process.

On colours you do can stipulate that deep shades need a lot of dyestuff and chemicals for

colour fastness and for depleting the colour bath. On the other hand light (pastel) colours

need very strong bleaching of cotton to create subtle shades. Next to this, synthetic fibers

are more easy to dye where natural fibers are difficult to dye.

Even distinguishing between the different fibers and the related specific chemical use, ei-

ther be it for fiber production or for yarn and fabric processing, is too difficult to catch in

simple rules. Again it depends on the total combination of fiber type, fabric features and

how the processing of yarn or fabric is done. For the production of fibers one could say

that organic and recycled fibers use less chemicals or less toxic chemicals.

On single issues like prints you can question PVC prints, because of the PVC itself and of

the potential harmful plasticizers (phthalates) in prints.

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B. Screening, selecting and working with suppliers

Restricted Substances List

A basic starting point is the active use of a RSL (Restricted Substances List) in close relation to product compliance with REACH legislation. Within REACH, the EU leg-islation for Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals, a list of Sub-stances of Very High Concern (SVHC) is composed and still growing. Substances on the list should be registered and evaluated before authorisation for use and oc-currence in products in Europe. MODINT clients have full access to specific textile related REACH information and to the MODINT restricted substances lists. It is a great tool when starting with your chemical policy and to meet the international leg-islation concerning chemicals in textiles and clothing. Via www.modint.nl module Buying & Production and barberi@modint.nl you can get information about the RSL. General information sources are AFIRM www.afirm-group.com and the Euro-pean Chemicals Agency www.echa.europa.eu.

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This is only a limited summary with chemicals you might have heard of. It intends to give an idea of structure

and complexity to illustrate the importance of an active implementation of a RSL management.

Selection of substances on the MODINT Restricted Substances list

that are legally banned or otherwise restricted

Allergenic disperse dyes several, e.g. disperse red, yellow and blue (who’s afraid of ...!)

Azo-dyes several, that split off carcinogenic substances

used for cotton, viscose and linen

Carcinogenic dyes e.g. acid, basic and direct red to mention 3 out of 9 totally

Navy blue

Flame retardants Several like Polybromobiphenyls(PBB), Hexabromocylododecane (HBCDD)

Formaldehyde not detectable for children apparel,

limited to 75 units (mg/kg) worn next to skin and 300 for outerwear

Heavy metals limits depending on the specific metal and child wear under 3 years

Organotin compounds plus 2 other biocides: Tributyltin and Dibutyltin

Phthalate plasticisers Several e.g. Dibutyl phthalate(DBP), Butylbenzyl phthalate(BBP)

Restricted Substances Management

Active implementation starts but certainly should not be limited to requiring to comply with the legally

restricted substances and asking a written declaration. Controls through sample testing should be execut-

ed. Additionally you can work with your important suppliers on a good understanding of the RSL list by

presenting the importance and content and eventually work together on problem solving.

Beyond Legally Restricted

For a pro-active strategy in the field of chemical risks it is important to consider to go beyond the legal

requirements. In the MODINT RSL, chemicals are included which can be expected to become regulated in

the near future (marked orange instead of red). Components under voluntary restriction by important

market parties (brands) are included and marked yellow. Chemicals which occur in restriction lists of non-

governmental organizations or strict criteria schemes (e.g. EU Ecolabel, Ökotex-100) are listed green.

An important step in managing the chemical risks for the workers, the environment and the consumer

(product) is to include the safe and clean use of less hazardous chemicals in the screening and selection

of suppliers and to work with suppliers to improve their performance:

1. Choose suppliers with a credible certificate.

2. Check supplier policy and performance.

3. Work with suppliers to implement improvement measures.

Examples of ‘beyond legislation’

AlkylPhenols (AP and APEO) chemical agent in wet-processing steps like washing, scouring, dyeing and printing

PVC glossy- printed coating

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B1. Choose suppliers with a credible certificate

Some well-known product certificates specifically address the absence or limitation of chemicals in the final garment, and is also used for cloth and yarn as intermediate products. They specifically include or also contribute to a safe workers environment due to the use of less hazardous chemicals.

Oeko-Tex Standard 100 www.oeko-tex.com The Oeko-Tex Standard 100 is an independent testing and certification system for textile raw materials, intermediate and end products at all stages of production. This standard is one of the top benchmarks for product safety with a transparent certification system. Many of these criteria are also relevant from a workers health and safety point of view but are not specifically addressing the issue. The website provides information on certified suppliers. STeP www.oekotex.com/step ‘Sustainable Textile Production (STeP)’ is a certification system for brands, retail companies and manufacturers from the textile chain who want to communicate their achievements regarding sustainable production to the public in a transparent, credible and clear manner. Certification is possible for Production facilities of all processing stages from fiber production to finishing facilities and manufacturers of ready made textile items. The objective of STeP certification is the permanent implementation of environmentally friendly production processes, optimum health and safety and socially acceptable working conditions. Bluesign www.bluesign.com Compliance with the full Bluesign standard will result in the “Bluesign approved fabric” certificate. Bluesign is a comprehensive system for chemical suppliers, textile manufacturers and brands and retailers to assure that through the whole supply chain the best available solutions are implemented and harmful substances are eliminated. Next to that is sets and controls standards for an environmentally friendly and safe production. This not only ensures that the final textile product meets very stringent consumer safety requirements worldwide but also provides confidence to the consumer to acquire a sustainable product. The limits and bans are compiled in the in the Bluesign® System Substances List. GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) www.global-standard.org The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is the worldwide leading textile processing standard for organic fibres, including ecological and social criteria, backed up by independent certification of the entire textile supply chain. All chemical inputs must be evaluated and meeting basic requirements on toxicity and biodegradability/eliminability and critical inputs such as toxic heavy metals and formaldehyde are prohibited. On working conditions general provisions are required according the prevailing knowledge of the industry and of any specific hazards. GOTS provides an on product label, but the precondition for on-product label use is that the whole value chain and the final product is certified. EU Ecolabel for Textile products www.ec.europa.eu.pdf The European Ecolabel for Textile products (including clothing) has set environmental criteria that define the best in class in this product group (for a comparison with Oeko-Tex 100 click here). The label addresses all fibres. When you can put an EU Ecolabel on your product it meets requirements like: a limited use of substances harmful to the environment, limited substances harmful to health, reduced water and air pollution. EU Ecolabel criteria for textiles moreover prohibit several substances such as, lead based pigments and heavy metals and formaldehyde. And restricts others such as zinc and copper. Those restrictions and bans limits or even excludes workers exposure risks.

Another helpful tool is made available by MADE-BY. MADE-BY, in cooperation with Systainable Solu-tions, developed a Wet Processing Benchmark in order to bring transparency and drive change. This tool can help companies to understand their efficiency compared to industry averages, and can lead brands to more conscious decision-making.

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Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL) The difference between a RSL and a MRSL is that the restricted substances mentioned in a MRSL are also concerning the hazardous chemicals used during production. The RSL restricts hazardous chemi-cals in the end product. In 2015 MODINT can provide you with a MRSL, although a lot of information regarding process related chemicals can already be found in our current RSL.

B2. Check suppliers policy and performance

Safer chemicals and cleaner production claims are becoming more common among processing chemi-cals, yarn, fabric and garment suppliers. Suppliers increasingly will give you information on their policy, performance and specific product claims in respect to chemicals and processing. It is not always easy to value this information if there is no reliable independent standard or certificate (see B1). You can always consult a MODINT CR consultant on their opinion.

General production process certificates In the field of workers safety and health and environmental protections several international standards and certificates indicate and guarantees to a certain extend that a company’s production process is under advanced control and thus on a higher “safe and clean” performance level. Well-known standards used by many industries are ISO-14000 series providing requirements and guidelines on an adequate and ef-fective Environmental Management System and the OHSAS-18001 occupational health and safety assur-ance system. Both standards provide you the assurance that proper management systems are in place, implying that a supplier who is certified accordingly, pays due attention to OHS issues and can be expected to have a good performance. Anyhow, the supplier can be expected to be able to provide you reliable performance information on request.

A supplier may also be able to show its actions on managing chemical risks by means of its active in-volvement in one or more sustainability initiatives.

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BSR Apparel, Mill, & Sundries Working Group www.bsr.org BSR, ‘Business for Social Responsibility’ has a network of more than 250 of the world’s most influ-ential companies, such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Nordstrom, Marks and Spencer and Associate Members like Fair Labor Association. The business members have to create and deliver products and services in a way that treats people fairly, meets individuals’ needs and aspirations within the boundaries of our planet. Notably on OHS related to chemicals: “suppliers should provide appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), such as masks, gloves, goggles, ear plugs and rubber boots, at no cost to all workers as well as instruction in PPE usage and maintenance. Workers should not incur any costs related to the normal and regular provision and maintenance of PPE.” BEPI www.bepi-intl.org The Business Environmental Performance Initiative (BEPI), an initiative of FTA, is a business-focused platform for companies committed to improving environmental performance in supplying factories and farms worldwide. BEPI provides a practical framework for all sectors to improve envi-ronmental performance and reduce environmental risks. BEPI covers the following environmental performance areas: Environmental Management System (Mandatory), energy use, water use, wastewater effluent, pollution prevention and chemicals, and major incident prevention and man-agement.

AFIRM www.afirm-group.com To reduce the use and impact of harmful substances in the apparel and footwear supply chain brands like Asics, H&M, Bestseller and PVH Group are working together in AFRIM. AFIRM contin-ues to be a recognized global center of excellence, providing resources to enable continuous ad-vancement of chemical management best practices. The purpose is to provide a forum to advance the global management of restricted substances in apparel and footwear, communicate infor-mation about RSL to the supply chain, discuss concerns, and exchange ideas for improving RSL management.

PaCT (Solidaridad) www.textilepact.net Partnership of Cleaner Textile (PaCT) is a best practice-level programme that is reducing the envi-ronmental impact of textile wet processing sector, its workers, and surrounding communities, in Bangladesh. Next to this, PaCT wants to contribute to the sector’s long-term competitiveness. PaCT channels the strengths of different players in the textile wet processing sector. This has al-ready led to basic cleaner production programmes in Bangladesh which can sometimes achieve a 50% reduction in water impact. Higg Index www.apparelcoalition.org The Higg Index is a suite of self-assessment tools designed to measure the sustainability impacts on environmental and labour/social issues of apparel, footwear and home textiles. Each ‘module’ is scored independently and out of 100 total points. The module facilities addresses the hazardous substances issues. It is up to each organization to determine how to interpret their scores.

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Joint Roadmap: Towards Zero Discharge of hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC)

In response to the Greenpeace Detox campaign: Roadmap to Zero a group of large apparel and

footwear brands (Adidas, C&A, H&M, Li Ning, Nike and Puma, G-Star, etc.) joined in a roadmap

towards zero discharge of hazardous chemicals. Their priority is on 11 chemical groups:

1. Phthalates (ortho-phthalates)

2. Brominated and chlorinated flame retardants

3. Azo dyes that can undergo reductive cleavage of the azo bond to release carcinogenic mines as

defined in Annex XVII of REACH

4. Organotin compounds

5. Chlorobenzenes

6. Chlorinated solvents

7. Chlorophenols

8. Short-chaind chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs)

9. Heavy metals: cadmium, lead, mercury, chromium (VI)

10. Alkylphenol- and nonylphenol ethoxylates (APEOs/NPEs) for detergent and degreasing

11. Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) for water and stain repellency

Further hazardous chemicals from RSL lists are to be assessed on the precautionary principle. Im-

plying that if it is not sure that there is no irreversible negative environmental effect, then zero dis-

charge should be the target. The joint roadmap group sees this as an important commitment and

collaboration to “lead the apparel and footwear industry…for all products across all pathways in our

supply chain”.

B3. Working with suppliers on safe chemical

use and a cleaner production approach and

technologies

Apart from a screening and selection of suppliers based on their chemical risks management/performance, your company can also actively work with suppliers to map and minimize chemical risks. Of course this also goes for the company’s own opera-tions (show a good example, ‘walk the talk’).

Chemical management and workers protection tools In many countries textile associations and Cleaner Pro-duction Centres are working with industries to reduce their environmental impacts and operational costs. A supplier can be referred to these centres to establish a Cleaner Production audit and develop an action plan to reduce the environmental impacts.

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MODINT EcoTool (click here) MODINT has developed, and continues developing, the EcoTool. It is a life cycle based spreadsheet to cal-culate several environmental impacts of a product(group) or even collection. The amount of energy needed from fiber production up to waste disposal – and if applicable recycling - is quantified. Next to energy also the climate impact (CO2 emission), water use and chemicals use are calculated. The MODINT EcoTool helps you to make quantified decisions on fibre and fabric choices and further (wet) processing improve-ments in your supply chain.

Cleaner and sustainable production (click here) UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organiza-tion) helps with the adaptation and adoption of Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production (RECP) methods, technologies and systems by enterprises and other organizations in developing and transition countries. These contribute to:

Efficient use of natural resources, including materials, water and energy

Minimization of wastes and emissions, including those discharged to water, air or on land

Reduction of risks to humans and environment from use of chemicals and disposal of chemicals used in industry.

What else can you do?

Inventory of chemicals in use: awareness and capability to handle chemicals safely starts with a

complete inventory of chemicals in use, start

with the high volume ones and the hazardous ones (dye-stuff, dye-bath auxiliary chemicals, organic

solvents, strong acids, strong alkali and

fine powder chemicals)

MSDS material safety datasheets: presence at production site is another minimum requirement for the workers to be able to know the OHS and environmental effects of a chemical. The chemicals supplier should always be able to provide you a MSDS (see a sample format). For understanding the MSDS information use this MSDS website. For informing workers see chemi-cal labelling and risk-phrases. Chemical labelling and risk phrases: hazardous characteristics are indicated on labels and places of use by classification symbols, preferably according the new Globally Harmonized System. Additionally chemicals can (should) be indicated with a H(azard) and P(revention) statement, see website.

Chemicals are centrally managed: purchasing, registration, stock holding, labelling and internal dis-tribution is best centrally organized by a specialized staff. An abridged system for chemicals health and safety management to start with is the ILO Chemical Control Toolkit. Click your way via buttons (left) and hazard groups (check MSDS) to the control sheets.

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The control strategy is in order of preference:

1. Apply the hazardous chemical in a closed system or use a less hazardous alternative, if not ready available: 2. Local vapour or dust removal and recirculation by point ventilation, if not installed: 3. Vapour or dust removal by general exhaust ventilation and filtering, if not achievable to a sufficient low

concentration/exposure: 4. Use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE: clothing, gloves, inhalation mask and filter, glasses, etc).

See also the Better Factories good practice sheets from the garment industry project in Cambodia (click ere), notably factsheets “Control of Hazardous Substances” and “Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in Dyeing Section”. Prevailing situation is that safety and health at the work floor is largely depending on PPE. It starts with the providing of the right PPE to each worker personally! Crucial is that the PPE is used constantly by the workers and maintained adequately (regular trainings and checks). Chemical storage: in a safe and locked manner, preferably in line with internationally accepted requirements (click here).

Some of the wider applicable general cleaner production measures are: Low-liquor ratio dyeing

An air jet dyeing machine works with a reduced liquor ratio (1 to 3 or 4.5) in comparison to the usual jet dyeing equipment, which are operated with a liquor ration of 1 to 10 or 12. This implies a serious reduction in dye chemicals use, with high produc-tivity and reproductively!

‘First time right’ Reproductively is a key-issue, not only on quality but on environmental protection as well. A good dye-stuff management and machine operations leads to stable and right results without the need to ‘re-do’ the dying. Thus saving time, fabric, energy and chemicals.

Reuse of caustic from mercerising Increasingly applied is the technique to reuse the caustic mercerising solution by evaporation. It costs some extra energy but that is largely saved by less water treatment. From the cost perspective the savings on caustic soda chemicals are usually very attractive.

(bio)catalytic pre-treatment process for cotton In line with the state-of-art enzymatic desizing (removal of starch with amylase) also for the scouring and bleaching of cotton bio catalytic solutions are in development and already provided by several textile chemical suppliers (Genecor, Huntsman, Tanatex). Notably the bleaching excludes the use of aggressive chemicals of which hydrogen peroxide is the usually preferred above the more hazardous chlorine bleaching

Waterless dyeing A revolutionary new technique is the “super-critical CO2 dyeing technology” which uses carbon dioxide as dyestuff carrier in-stead of water. High pressure equipment is needed for this technology. The dye chemicals are fully used in a completely closed and controlled system, not generating any polluted waste water.

Natural dyestuffs Very often natural dyes are referred to as harmless because of natural origin. However the form and concentration of use in industrial dyeing application needs the usual attention as for working with synthetic dyes (chemicals). Nevertheless nature is of course more capable to cope with low emissions and wash-offs of natural dyes like the well known Dutch madder root Rubia.

Environmental ‘friendly’ dyestuff and dyeing programmes Also the ‘main stream’ dye suppliers pay more and more attention to the sustainability of the dyes in the total system. High fixation grades is an important manner to save chemicals as well as full exhaustion of dye-bath solutions (high efficient dyeing)

Formaldehyde-free pigment printing and easy care finishing Formaldehyde is one of the chemicals which are ever wider expelled from the chemical treatment pallet. Formaldehyde-free easy-care pigment and easy-care finishing.

Sandblasting ban A resent success in phasing out hazardous chemicals (minerals) use is the ban on sandblasting for wear effects on denim. It illustrates that if the need is recognised (in this case primarily workers health and safety.

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C. Inform the consumer about chemical use during production A consumer does not a big influence on the chemical use during production, therefore it is important for, as brand, to take care of this. Aim on working with initiatives in order to provide a harmless products to your consumers. A new tool launched by Oeko-Tex to inform the consumer is Made in Green by Oeko-Tex. This label provides a certification of proven harmless textiles which have been manufactured under environ-mentally friendly and socially responsible production conditions. The label replaces the previous certifica-tion system Oeko-Tex Standard 100plus and the Spanish mark "Made in Green by Aitex". The new ‘Made in Green by Oeko-Tex’ label has an added value since it is a transparent label for consumers. Using the given test number and a QR code, the textiles and the manufacturing process can be tracked.

… GET INFORMED, AWARE, INSPIRED AND CHALLENGED! Also refer to the social compliance factsheet. If you want to work on your chemicals policy, you can even participate in the ‘Water & Chemicals’ and ‘Safe & Healthy workplace’ workgroups of the Dutch National Action Plan. Join now!

Designers

The use of the different colours, prints, yarns, fabrics features and finishes are largely design-choices . Although, it’s

difficult to indicate in general the harmful ones, to help you with that you can contact a MODINT consultant.

Use alternatives for restrictions posed by RSL.

Buyers/Sourcers/Product managers

Monitoring of the quality manual.

Ask for a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS).

You can either join an initiative yourself or work with suppliers that joined one of these initiatives. By using their publicly

available tools and measures (see websites) you may be able to further shape your chemical management throughout the

supply chain.

Check the supplier’s sustainability report and/or raise relevant questions: does the supplier have a policy on chemicals

use, is this policy translated into specific targets, is the use of chemicals managed with an RSL system and guaranteed RSL

compliant?

Verify the answers to these questions, preferably through a signed energy or environmental policy – preferably part of an

environmental management system (ISO-14001) or a verified CR report including specific workers health and safety and

chemicals use and emissions data.

Ask for specific information about chemicals use and restrictions, reduction and environment, health and safety

measures. It is important that this information can be considered reliable (‘no easy way-out on serious questions’!).

CR and Supply chain managers

Create a quality manual which includes a RSL at least at legal requirements level and try to ‘go beyond’ for chemicals for

which green alternatives are offered.

Aim on certification or co-operation with initiatives.

A supply chain manager in direct contact with yarn and cloth producers or suppliers, can start a dialogue on awareness,

management and measures on efficient and cleaner, safer chemicals use. Use above examples to start the dialogue. Don’t let

you hold back if there’s not a ready alternative available. Cleaner chemistry is in development. Try to see for yourself the

availability of MSDS, labeling and statements, storage facility and use of PPE.

Management

Develop a structural RSL policy, management and assurance practice - preferably together with your most relevant

suppliers.

Train and inform employees. MODINT can help you with training sessions, please contact MODINT CR consultant.

Put targets (priority) and providing means (budget).