ChemSec, ZDHC build restricted substance candidate list for textiles
Environmental non-profit ChemSec (the International Chemical Secretariat) and ZDHC are working together to find safer alternatives to the chemistry currently used in textile and leather manufacturing. A major component of their joint effort is a manufacturing restricted substances candidate list to be published on ChemSec’s B2B platform Marketplace.
Marketplace connects buyers and suppliers of chemical alternatives. There, suppliers can market their alternatives, and downstream users can explore how to replace harmful chemicals in their products.
Frank Michel, ZDHC executive director, said the joint effort will both promote the need for alternatives while also gathering more information about the options. “With this information, we aim to identify if a response to a ZDHC request is, in reality, a better alternative and if so, start a review process,” he said. “This review process could be a key part of determining whether a substance should move from the ZDHC MRSL Candidate List to the ZDHC MRSL.”
In establishing the ZDHC MRSL Candidate List, the groups found a limited number of alternatives available on a global scale, which they say illustrates the industry’s need to develop more safer alternatives.
This, they said, “flags the immediate demand and need of the industry for alternatives” and “helps innovators to identify the needs of the textile industry and make informed decisions on the research and development for new chemical products or process innovations”.
