SPONSORED CONTENT - The global discourse surrounding chemical restrictions within supply chains has become a focal point of political discussion. Insights from the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA, 2023) reveal that 70% of the export volumes of hazardous substances pertain to industrial chemicals. These chemicals are utilized by companies across diverse sectors, often without full awareness. Fostering effective communication between downstream users and suppliers helps to facilitate the seamless flow of information. As concerns escalate regarding harmful chemicals prevalent in the textile and leather industry, coupled with growing criticism of lax regulatory measures, the industry is gearing up for a positive transformation.
The international OEKO-TEX® association supports textile and leather brands and manufacturers by facing these challenges with their modular certification system. The ECO PASSPORT certification for chemicals, colourants and auxiliaries analyses whether each ingredient in the chemical product meets the legal requirements and that it is not harmful to human health. The label proves which chemicals meet responsible textile and leather manufacture. The 24% increase in OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT certifications in the past fiscal year reflects the interest in solutions to its chemical management.
Companies working with OEKO-TEX® can benefit from a global network of certified suppliers to facilitate the sourcing of chemicals, materials, and business partners. Additionally, OEKO-TEX® is focusing on partnerships with multi-stakeholder initiatives to include as many different perspectives as possible and allow all parties to benefit from the cooperation. In this framework, OEKO-TEX® has strengthened its collaboration with ZDHC in 2023 to enhance the industry’s environmental performance. „Although we have been collaborating with ZDHC for over five years, this formal agreement will augment the benefits of both organisations to brands and their suppliers, “says OEKO-TEX® „Our goal is to share learning and experience, driving sustainability by eliminating harmful chemicals throughout the supply chain and lowering the apparel, footwear, and textile industry’s impact.
ZDHC and OEKO-TEX® are establishing data-sharing processes that will stand to benefit customers, e.g., in the ECO PASSPORT process and through listing on the ZDHC Gateway. This will strengthen data quality, making performance and impact evaluation more credible.
OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT is an integral part of the association‘s modular certification system, as it is integrated into both the OEKO-TEX® STeP production facility certification and the traceable product label OEKO-TEX® MADE IN GREEN. While companies have been benefiting from the internal modular approach for years, from 2024 OEKO-TEX® STeP-certified companies will additionally receive discounts for the ZDHC Supplier to Zero Program, which simplifies the certification process. For example, wastewater tests for OEKO-TEX® STeP are implemented directly into a ZDHC ClearStream, thus simplifying customer requirements. Additionally, STeP customers already benefit from the OEKO-TEX® x The BHive® partnership. It enables customers to digitalise their chemical inventories. Through The BHive® customers can conduct ZDHC Performance InCheck and conformance checks against the ZDHC Gateway, the largest database of chemical products certified against the ZDHC MRSL.
