Textile Chemical Organizations Team Up to Take On Toxins in Apparel Production

Jennifer Bringle
·2 min read

Sustainable Chemistry for the Textile Industry (SCTI), a nonprofit founded by six global chemical companies, has partnered with sustainable textile production technology company Bluesign and the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Foundation to further the goal of removing hazardous substances from clothing.

SCTI and Bluesign developed their comprehensive Sustainable Chemistry Index (SCI) for the textile industry in 2022. The tool allows companies to asses the sustainability of the chemicals used in textiles from fiber to finished garment and beyond. The SCI looks at supply chain transparency, responsible sourcing, feedstock reducing fossil fuel-dependency, product carbon footprint, resource consumption, efficiency of use during production, end-use impact and end-of-life applications.

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SCTI and Bluesign have agreed to donate their SCI tool to ZDHC, which aims to prevent hazardous chemicals from being used in fashion production. The group has a goal of reaching zero hazardous waste chemical discharge across the global supply chain. The SCI tool will serve as a key component of ZDHC’s Chemicals to Zero program, which helps fashion industry suppliers and brands achieve greater sustainability through chemical management.

“Our initiative elevates collective action to new heights and enables the textile and fashion industries to make sustainable choices by taking full advantage of what solidarity can do to power change,” said Isabella Tonaco, executive director of SCTI. The group’s founding companies include Archroma, CHT Group, Kyung-In Synthetic Corporation (KISCO), Pulcra Chemicals, Rudolf Group and Tanatex Chemicals.

The use of the SCI also will play an important role in ZDHC’s Roadmap to Zero program. The goal is for 100 percent of chemical formulations used by companies in the ZDHC community, and 70 percent of those used in the global industry, to adopt the organization’s manufacturing restricted substances list. The community currently boasts a number of household names, from Adidas to H&M Group, Asos, Burberry, Candiani Denim and Hugo Boss.

“We have been partnering with all stakeholders involved for some time and recognized that our market has been operating with multiple isolated approaches,” said Wolfgang Schumann, a ZDHC board member, chairman of SCTI and managing director of Rudolf. “Within SCI content, we are converging several approaches while raising sustainable chemistry to the benefit of our community.”

After undergoing assessment by ZDHC stakeholders, the SCI tool’s content will be made available to the public to promote adoption of more sustainable processes across the fashion industry.

“Our mission is to build a dynamic platform that highlights the transformative journey of sustainable chemistry in the fashion industry,” said Frank Michel, CEO of ZDHC. “By integrating the SCI as the cornerstone of Chemicals to Zero Aspirational Level and releasing it into our publicly available ZDHC framework, we’re showcasing true thought leadership essential for driving positive change and engage our wider community of stakeholders on our way forward.”