ZDHC releases public disclosure portal for wastewater

The ZDHC Programme aims to drive the global textile, apparel and footwear industries (including leather) towards the use of more sustainable chemistry. Its approach focuses on chemical inputs and the backbone of the programme is based on the ZDHC Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (ZDHC MRSL); a list of chemical substances banned from intentional use in facilities that process textiles, leather and trim parts in apparel and footwear.

The public disclosure portal builds on the ZDHC Wastewater Guidelines by providing clear public information on conformance. The portal helps to identify the most impacted areas worldwide and prioritise actions to mitigate the environmental impact of supply chains. It is aimed at all value chain actors with the goal to drive both demand and supply for sustainable chemistry and improved wastewater treatment practices.

The portal draws information from verified facility wastewater test data from the ZDHC Gateway - Wastewater Module (i.e. testing conducted against the ZDHC Wastewater Guidelines indicating conformance and areas for improvement), and unverified wastewater test data from the Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs (IPE) platform.

In the portal’s interactive map, colour-coded spots represent individual facilities’ aggregated wastewater data. Green indicates all tested analysis meet the ZDHC Wastewater Guideline requirements, red indicates that at least one tested analysis does not meet the requirements, and yellow confirms that at least one tested analysis does not meet the requirements, and that a corrective action plan has been submitted.

In the public disclosure Portal, the name of facilities is not disclosed and their exact location is limited to a regional level. By comparison via the ZDHC Gateway - Wastewater Module, ZDHC contributing brands and retailers enjoy full visibility.

"This tool is a major step forward to encourage all actors to take up the ZDHC mission to advance towards zero discharge of hazardous chemicals in the textile, leather and footwear value chain. By moving the entire industry towards conformance, we are working to ensure wastewater discharge from the textile, leather and footwear Industry does not adversely affect the environment and surrounding communities," said Stefan Seidel, head of corporate sustainability at Puma. (RR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India