Bluesign has teamed up with Sustainable Chemistry for the Textile Industry (SCTITM) to
develop a sustainable chemistry index that will provide a standard communication guide
for chemical suppliers, manufacturers, brands, and NGOs.
The first-of-its-kind index is intended to inspire change in the industry by making it easier
for stakeholders to assess the sustainability of textile chemical products against the highest
standards while safeguarding the intellectual property (IP) of participating chemical
companies. IP protection is critical to ensuring ongoing investment in sustainable solutions.
SCTITM is an alliance of leading chemical companies that strives to empower the textile and leather industries to apply sustainable, state-of-the-art chemistry solutions that protect
factory workers, local communities, consumers, and the environment.
Bluesign will implement and manage the sustainable chemistry index as an independent
authority with a holistic approach to helping companies throughout the textile supply chain
improve their sustainability performance.
Chemical products, such as dyes and textile auxiliaries, are often characterized by the
attribute of being “free of a certain substance”. Rather than prioritizing ingredients only, the
bluesign® SYSTEM already goes beyond this. The chemicals and the production site where
they were created must meet certain criteria regarding environmental performance,
occupational health and safety, and product stewardship performance to be bluesign®
APPROVED.
The sustainable chemistry index will be reserved for substances that offer transparency
on a number of additional indicators including the chemical’s circularity viability,
greenhouse gas emissions during production, and the source of the raw materials. The
sustainable chemistry index will also require that the downstream use of the chemical
is optimized, meaning, for example, that it promotes resource-saving in textile finishing.
Additionally, excellent corporate governance paired with well-defined environmental and
social (ESG) goals will be a pre-condition.
