ZDHC ve OEKO-TEX® Collaboration
ZDHC and OEKO-TEX® have strengthened their collaboration to improve the environmental performance of the textile, apparel, leather, and footwear industry.
Their goal is to promote sustainable chemical management and cleaner chemistry principles by working together. Through their joint efforts, they aim to enhance industry guidelines and solutions, empowering stakeholders such as chemical formulators/manufacturers, suppliers, brands, and retailers to minimize their environmental impact.
This partnership seeks to establish a comprehensive approach to sustainable chemical and product management across global value chains. While OEKO-TEX® and ZDHC have been collaborating for over five years, this formal agreement will further enhance the benefits to brands and suppliers.
The collaboration agreement provides a framework for several initiatives. The OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT certification, approved for conformance against the ZDHC MRSL V3.1, can be obtained from any OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT laboratory.
Chemical formulators can display these certificates by registering their products with the ZDHC Gateway. The collaboration will also focus on aligning with the upcoming ZDHC Chemicals to Zero Programme and facilitating knowledge transfer between technical groups of both organizations.
Both parties have agreed to promote ZDHC products and platforms (such as the Gateway, InCheck, and ClearStream) through OEKO-TEX® channels to minimize duplication and foster harmonization in the industry.
OEKO-TEX® STeP customers will have easy access to the ZDHC Gateway and the ZDHC Supplier to Zero Programme, which will enhance their readiness for OEKO-TEX® STeP certification. Wastewater testing for OEKO-TEX® STeP will directly contribute to ZDHC ClearStream, simplifying customer requirements. The rollout of these initiatives is planned for late summer 2023.
OEKO-TEX® STeP customers already benefit from the partnership between OEKO-TEX® and The BHive®, which enables them to digitize their chemical inventories. Through The BHive®, customers can perform ZDHC Performance InCheck and conformance checks against the ZDHC Gateway, the largest database of chemical products certified against the ZDHC MRSL.
To improve data quality, ZDHC and OEKO-TEX® will establish data sharing processes, benefiting customers in areas such as the ECO PASSPORT process and listing on the ZDHC Gateway.
This collaboration aims to enhance the credibility of performance and impact evaluation. The specific timeline for the implementation of these processes will be determined in the coming months. Additionally, the location and services of OEKO-TEX® institutes can now be found on the ZDHC Find Your Expert Platform.
Frank Michel, Executive Director of ZDHC Foundation, expressed his satisfaction with the collaboration, emphasizing its potential to drive sustainability in the textile industry.
He highlighted the shared objective of accelerating sustainable chemical management, responsible production, and the use of safer materials, considering this partnership a significant step toward a sustainable future for the industry.
Georg Dieners, OEKO-TEX® General Secretary, believes that collaboration will bring about transformative change and meet the industry's true requirements. He emphasized that joint recognition of each other's programs will be included in the well-structured collaboration, as both ZDHC and OEKO-TEX® aim to positively impact products, the environment, and people.
The objective of their partnership is to share knowledge and experience, driving sustainability by eliminating harmful chemicals throughout the supply chain and reducing the environmental impact of the apparel, footwear, and textile industry.
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