 "Brands must play proactive role in consumer safety and eco-compliance")
With the shift in manufacturing base to the producer countries in the East, the monitoring of the supply chain activities such as logistics, deliveries, quality and environmental compliances has undergone a paradigm shift. The fragmented nature of the supply chain has compounded the challenges to brands to ensure consumer safety and eco-compliance in their products.
Many brands traditionally have been focusing on consumer safety. In order to ensure that the final article is free from hazardous chemicals, most brands formulate a Restricted Substances List (RSL), which is a guideline on chemicals that are prohibited for use. The compliance to the RSL is generally checked through random sampling and testing of the finished article at accredited laboratories.
Brands require their suppliers and business partners to implement processes in their operations to comply with these RSL requirements and communicate the information to their raw material suppliers.
The question is: Is there actual compliance with such initiatives and policies across the fragmented and diverse supply chain?
The Dirty Laundry campaign
A new investigative campaign by Greenpeace - called ‘Dirty Laundry’, has brought out some pointers to the above question. Greenpeace started a campaign to profile the problem of water pollution resulting from the release of hazardous chemicals by the textile industry in China. In its series of investigations, the NGO found that environmentally harmful chemicals were being widely used in the processing chain, even by leading brands - inspite of the brands’ claims of implementing RSLs at their suppliers end.
The Dirty Laundry reports thus have blown the lid off the role brands are expected to play in product and consumer safety by ensuring compliance of their supply chain.
The Detox challenge
Following this, Greenpeace challenged the brands to commit their entire supply chain to shift to use of zero- toxic chemicals by launching the ‘Detox Now!’ campaign. The activists have urged potential customers to ‘rethink’ their decision to purchase the contaminated clothing. Greenpeace is asking supporters and consumers to challenge major brands to ‘Detox’ their supply chain and products and to champion a toxic- free future.
ZDHC, the answer
In response to Greenpeace’s ‘Detox Now!’ challenge, in 2011, many leading brands came together (and more are joining) and made a commitment to eliminate all releases of hazardous chemicals (ie zero discharge of hazardous chemicals or ZDHC) from its entire product lifecycle and across its global supply chain by 2020. As a part of this commitment, a Joint Roadmap was announced with the support of several expert organisations and a larger group of other brands in the industry (visit: www.roadmaptozero.com).
The Joint Roadmap is very challenging, but also represents a landmark opportunity to contribute to a cleaner environment and to safe and secure conditions for people.
Impact and concerns for the ZDHC
Given below are some of the impact and concerns for the ZDHC:
The Indian government – apart from a very strict enforcement of pollution emission norms in some parts of the country – is not taking any measures to protect the consumer from the hazards of chemicals in the end-article. Local brands - although quite aware of international trends – are not incorporating any policy on consumer safety for their products in India, sorely due to lack of knowledge among the Indian consumer. This apathy towards restrictions on hazardous chemicals in textiles may well change with this campaign. The suppliers of garments to the ZDHC group of brands will first face the pressure of clean-up, and this may well translate into such measures being taken even for domestic production. This issue needs to be debated and highlighted for urgent action by the government, Indian NGOs and the general consuming public!
A boon for a clean- up operation
The Greenpeace Dirty Laundry Campaign shows that inspite of the brands eco-initiatives and corporate missions to ensure that their supply chains are free of hazardous chemicals, many such chemicals are finding their way into the effluent at the place of manufacture, as well as on the finished garment.
The ZDHC roadmap will impact the textile supply chain in a huge way, since for the first time, hazardous chemicals will be checked not only on the finished article, but also in waste water, sludge and (at a later stage) in air emissions.
The ZDHC effort should have the following impacts:
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The author is Chairman and Managing Director of NimkarTek Technical Services Pvt Ltd, Mumbai
Many brands traditionally have been focusing on consumer safety. In order to ensure that the final article is free from hazardous chemicals, most brands formulate a Restricted Substances List (RSL), which is a guideline on chemicals that are prohibited for use. The compliance to the RSL is generally checked through random sampling and testing of the finished article at accredited laboratories.
Brands require their suppliers and business partners to implement processes in their operations to comply with these RSL requirements and communicate the information to their raw material suppliers.
The question is: Is there actual compliance with such initiatives and policies across the fragmented and diverse supply chain?
The Dirty Laundry campaign
A new investigative campaign by Greenpeace - called ‘Dirty Laundry’, has brought out some pointers to the above question. Greenpeace started a campaign to profile the problem of water pollution resulting from the release of hazardous chemicals by the textile industry in China. In its series of investigations, the NGO found that environmentally harmful chemicals were being widely used in the processing chain, even by leading brands - inspite of the brands’ claims of implementing RSLs at their suppliers end.
The Dirty Laundry reports thus have blown the lid off the role brands are expected to play in product and consumer safety by ensuring compliance of their supply chain.
The Detox challenge
Following this, Greenpeace challenged the brands to commit their entire supply chain to shift to use of zero- toxic chemicals by launching the ‘Detox Now!’ campaign. The activists have urged potential customers to ‘rethink’ their decision to purchase the contaminated clothing. Greenpeace is asking supporters and consumers to challenge major brands to ‘Detox’ their supply chain and products and to champion a toxic- free future.
ZDHC, the answer
In response to Greenpeace’s ‘Detox Now!’ challenge, in 2011, many leading brands came together (and more are joining) and made a commitment to eliminate all releases of hazardous chemicals (ie zero discharge of hazardous chemicals or ZDHC) from its entire product lifecycle and across its global supply chain by 2020. As a part of this commitment, a Joint Roadmap was announced with the support of several expert organisations and a larger group of other brands in the industry (visit: www.roadmaptozero.com).
The Joint Roadmap is very challenging, but also represents a landmark opportunity to contribute to a cleaner environment and to safe and secure conditions for people.
Impact and concerns for the ZDHC
Given below are some of the impact and concerns for the ZDHC:
- The complexity of brand’s supply chain: One of the major concerns for the brands is to map their global supply chains across different tiers -from garment supplier to the chemical manufacturer
- Chemical residues in waste water: Currently, the practice of addressing the issue of chemical residues in articles is to test an article for the restricted substance. However some toxic chemicals do not fix onto the fabric, but will now be found in waste water and sludge.
- Limitations of information on chemical ingredients: Chemical suppliers provide MSDS to provide information on hazardous ingredients in their formulations. In many cases, these MSDSs are incomplete or contain information that is not understood.
- Disclosure by chemical manufacturer: Dialogues with chemical supplier will have to be initiated wherever there are ‘proprietary’ formulations.
- Lab facilities: Testing and analysis of waste water and sludge will require new sampling and analytical techniques. Also, co-relation of test data from different labs to assess the correctness of results, as well as increasing the number of capable lab facilities will have to be done to meet the demands of testing.
- Development of green chemistry: The ZDHC will provide the much needed impetus to development of green products and chemical processes. The ZDHC implementation will be the driving force for more investments and initiatives in green chemistry projects.
- Training and education across the supply chain: There is a need to thoroughly understand the issues involved in ZDHC. Only with a continuous training and education at each level of the supply chain will there be a change in mind-set and an inherent willingness to comply with the ZDHC issues.
NimkarTek Technical Services' Ullhas Nimkar
The Detox Now! campaign will certainly have a big impact on the Indian textile industry and the Indian consumer. Unfortunately, the Indian customer is yet not sensitised to the issue of product and consumer safety. He is not aware of the possible effects of toxic chemicals being used in apparel manufacture.The Indian government – apart from a very strict enforcement of pollution emission norms in some parts of the country – is not taking any measures to protect the consumer from the hazards of chemicals in the end-article. Local brands - although quite aware of international trends – are not incorporating any policy on consumer safety for their products in India, sorely due to lack of knowledge among the Indian consumer. This apathy towards restrictions on hazardous chemicals in textiles may well change with this campaign. The suppliers of garments to the ZDHC group of brands will first face the pressure of clean-up, and this may well translate into such measures being taken even for domestic production. This issue needs to be debated and highlighted for urgent action by the government, Indian NGOs and the general consuming public!
A boon for a clean- up operation
The Greenpeace Dirty Laundry Campaign shows that inspite of the brands eco-initiatives and corporate missions to ensure that their supply chains are free of hazardous chemicals, many such chemicals are finding their way into the effluent at the place of manufacture, as well as on the finished garment.
The ZDHC roadmap will impact the textile supply chain in a huge way, since for the first time, hazardous chemicals will be checked not only on the finished article, but also in waste water, sludge and (at a later stage) in air emissions.
The ZDHC effort should have the following impacts:
- An impetus to the growth of green chemistry and green alternatives
- A greater awareness about environmental and health issues due to training & education
- Growth in laboratory testing facilities and their capabilities
- A more scientific mapping and monitoring of the brands’ supply chains
- Greater compliance to MSDS & compliance declarations by chemical manufacturers
- A marginalisation of small-scale chemical manufacturers & formulators (who may not afford facilities for testing & research) and dominance of large scale multi-national chemical companies.
- Increased awareness about consumer safety and the need for restricting use of hazardous chemicals in textiles, even in countries with lack of such awareness, such as India, China and Bangladesh
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The author is Chairman and Managing Director of NimkarTek Technical Services Pvt Ltd, Mumbai