JAAF Insights: Guidelines and Tools to adopt ZDHC
Source – ZDHC official website
ZDHC Guidelines
What is ZDHC?
Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC), ZDHC is a multi-stakeholder organisation comprising over 320 signatories from across the industry including Brands, Suppliers, Solution Providers and Chemical Suppliers. The Roadmap to Zero Programme, by ZDHC leads the fashion industry to eliminate harmful chemicals from its global supply chain by building the foundation for more sustainable manufacturing to protect workers, consumers and our planet’s ecosystems.
ZDHC acts as the Manufacturing Restricted Substance List (MRSL) for apparel and textile industry, which includes a list of chemicals that are restricted and not permitted to be use in the manufacturing process of apparel and textiles.
For more information…
About ZDHC MRSL Conformance
A chemical conforms to the ZDHC MRSL when it does not contain substances that are listed on the ZDHC MRSL at levels above the set MRSL limits. Sourcing and managing chemicals so that only those formulations meeting the MRSL are used helps to reduce their environmental impact.?
The ZDHC MRSL Conformance Guidance offers a recognised, credible way to prove how well a chemical product conforms to ZDHC MRSL standards. It helps chemical formulators to measure and prove that conformance to their customers.
Measuring ZDHC?MRSL?Conformance
There are three levels of ZDHC MRSL conformance. Higher levels of conformance mean more confidence in the consistency of ZDHC MRSL conformance and better evaluation of product stewardship systems at a chemical manufacturer through a ZDHC accepted certification body.
ZDHC MRSL Conformance Levels 1-3 give a confidence rating that this requirement would be met consistently. The higher the level the more confidence there is that the chemical formulation will meet the latest version of ZDHC MRSL requirements. This is because more information is known about the chemical formulation and the chemical formulator at higher conformance levels.
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ZDHC Wastewater Guidelines
The ZDHC Wastewater Guidelines is a living document which sets a single, globally unified expectation across the textile, leather and footwear industry supply chain for industrial wastewater and sludge. They define the guidelines for wastewater discharge, sludge quality and disposal pathways. The input of key stakeholders (brands, suppliers, academia, laboratories and certification bodies) and stringent review processes from ZDHC Wastewater Council were used in their creation, adding to their credibility.?
ZDHC Sludge Reference Document
ZDHC released its first Sludge Reference Document which gives a detailed approach to ZDHC Disposal Pathways. This document is arranged according to the sludge generation, handling, and disposal pathway. It provides transparency and traceability for sludge, from generation to final disposal.
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ZDHC?Commodity Chemicals Guide
ZDHC has created this Commodity Chemicals Guide V1.0 to:
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Commodity chemicals are within the scope of the ZDHC MRSL but are excluded from the Performance Incheck Report. This is due to the challenge of engaging the commodity chemicals industry in the ZDHC Gateway and populating these products in the ZDHC Gateway database of ZDHC MRSL conformant products. Commodity chemicals tend to be low priced, and easily replaced with another similar product without any need for specific process change. They are not expected to remain on the finished article, but to be washed off in processing, putting the risk on wastewater and sludge quality. Being sold in pure form it is unlikely that they are a ZDHC MRSL intentional addition.
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ZDHC Chemical Management System
A sound sustainable chemical management system (CMS) supports worker safety and reduces environmental impacts within the community and the broader environment.?
Supporting the adoption and implementation of the ZDHC CMS, two documents are publicly available.
ZDHC CMS Framework?
The ZDHC CMS Framework provides the textile, apparel, and footwear industries with a united base. It can be incorporated into a broader management system, such as an Environmental Management System (EMS).
The ZDHC CMS Framework gives a high-level overview of the CMS requirements. However, each organisation defines its implementation scope and may include specific operating unit(s) or a range of parts of its value chain. Brands, suppliers and facilities can adopt the CMS Framework with the Chemical Industry, Service Providers, and other supply chain partners.
Please note: The ZDHC CMS Framework is complementary to every regulatory, operational, or product requirements. Its intent is to be used to measure the success of an organisation’s own chemical management system.
The ZDHC CMS Framework addresses actions to be implemented across operations of all ZDHC Focus Areas including Input-, Process- and Output- Management.
ZDHC CMS Technical Industry Guide?
The ZDHC CMS Technical Industry Guide covers the implementation of a CMS in the supply chain.?
The CMS Technical Industry Guide provides the basis to harmonise requirements across Brands and Suppliers in the implementation of Sustainable Chemical Management. Suppliers can tailor and implement their plans to meet the harmonised expectations, whether they are tanneries, dye-houses, mills, printers or footwear assembly units, or another kind of facility.
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ZDHC Air Emissions Position Paper
The ZDHC Air Emissions Position Paper promotes the management of air emissions and sharing best practices with the aim to minimise air pollution across the textile, apparel, leather and footwear value chain.
ZDHC broadens its scope of work to address the management of air emissions within the textile, apparel, leather and footwear industry, in recognition of the impact that air emissions of hazardous chemicals may have in communities and the environment.?
The ZDHC Air Emissions Position Paper is the result of the collaborative effort that included representatives from relevant stakeholder groups with the aim to minimise air pollution across the textile, apparel, leather and footwear value chain.
This Paper focuses on two types of air emissions, those air emissions generated in a facility related to its operations (combustions or other air emissions sources) and process operations air emissions (related to production process, production line equipment and manufacturing processes), sharing aligned expectations and highlighting areas of opportunity.? The aim of this paper is to build up the needed understanding of air emissions management and best practices, and it should be implemented by brands and facilities to understand the gaps with current air emissions control and tracking efforts to prepare for the transition of this document to the ZDHC Air Emissions Guidelines. No new air testing is described in the paper beyond those legally required.
Read more https://www.roadmaptozero.com/output#?
ZDHC Tools
ZDHC Gateway
ZDHC Gateway harnesses the power of transparency and collaboration to eliminate harmful substances from the global supply chains of the textile, apparel and footwear (including leather) industries. It is the world’s largest database dedicated to enabling safer choices of chemical products for the textile, apparel and footwear industries and the go-to platform to find and source ZDHC MRSL conformant chemical products.
Through ZDHC Gateway’s Chemical and Wastewater Modules, the implementation and monitoring of a supplier’s input and output chemical management is facilitated.
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Read more on? https://www.roadmaptozero.com/input#CG
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ZDHC Check Tools
Verified InCheck - Level 1
A ZDHC Performance InCheck Report is based on the chemical inventory as uploaded by a supplier via a third party solution provider platform approved by ZDHC. The quality of the Performance InCheck Report depends on the accuracy and completeness of the chemical inventory uploaded by the supplier. This is why ZDHC has extended InCheck Solutions to include a verification component. This is covered by Verified InCheck – Level 1. The objective of a Verified InCheck – Level 1 is firstly, to review the overall completeness and accuracy of the chemical products in a supplier’s chemical inventory with those published in the ZDHC Gateway – Chemical Module and secondly, to enhance confidence in the Performance InCheck Reports generated by a supplier
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A ZDHC Performance InCheck Report is based on the chemical inventory as uploaded by a supplier via a third party solution provider platform approved by ZDHC.
For All the approval of the third party solutions and to find the solution providers please check?https://www.implementation-hub.org/providers
More information on the InCheck Solutions and other checktools can be found on?https://www.zdhc-gateway.com/reports/incheck
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What can Supplier to Zero do for your business?
Supplier to Zero helps you to realise your potential. Identify areas of improvement in sustainable chemical management and reduce risks and costs associated with outdated practices. Qualify your company for the future!?
The Foundational Level is based on the ZDHC Chemical Management Framework and comes with more than 150 hands-on industry standard and best-practice guidance sheets. The ZDHC recommendations provide a structured implementation plan for improvements with indicators for the required investment or effort and the expected payback time.
Use the ZDHC certificates to demonstrate progress towards your customers and the industry. Move on to the Progressive and Aspirational Levels to position your company amongst the industry leaders.
Being part of the Supplier to Zero Programme offers a unique opportunity to highlight your organisation as a future-focussed industry leader. Your ZDHC implementation performance will be certified at three different levels:
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ZDHC Academy
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The global academic centre and training platform specialised in sustainable chemical management offered through ZDHC Accredited Training Providers.
ZDHC Academy training courses and e-learning modules provide the opportunity to improve knowledge and skills in sustainable chemical and wastewater management.
A ZDHC Approved Training Provider offers capacity-building and training services either in-person, online or in a hybrid format by using training materials or training curricula defined or endorsed by the ZDHC Academy.
Read more https://academy.roadmaptozero.com/
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ZDHC Accepted Testing Laboratories
Laboratories must meet ZDHC’s minimum approval criteria. This is crucial to sample and analyse based on the ZDHC Wastewater Guidelines, and to submit test data to the ZDHC Gateway - Wastewater Module. For consistent data quality, insight is needed on the personnel, equipment and processes being used. With that in mind, the ZDHC Approved Wastewater Laboratory Programme was created.
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