International sportswear brand Adidas recently announced that it will control the dyes used in its apparel manufacturing process and the auxiliary chemicals used in its production. Following a comprehensive review of the chemical composition of its apparel manufacturing processes, Adidas has set the following goals:
Before the end of 2015:
At least 50% of the dyes used in clothing must be approved by the Bluesign standard for environmentally friendly textiles. The Bluesign standard mandates that textiles produced must meet stringent requirements across multiple dimensions, including environmental, health, and product safety.
– At least 10% of process auxiliary chemicals must comply with the Blue Mark specification. Process auxiliary chemicals are chemicals that must be used in the process but do not have a specific impact on the product's functionality.
Adidas points out that setting a target of 10% for process auxiliary chemicals may seem easy to achieve, but since these process auxiliary chemicals are usually used in upstream suppliers' factories around the world, most of these suppliers may not yet know the standards represented by the blue mark. Therefore, Adidas still has a long way to go in terms of promoting supplier chemical management.
In contrast, most dyes are supplied by major international manufacturers, most of whom are already Blue Label partners. Therefore, Adidas believes that it should not be difficult to require supply chain manufacturers to replace dyes of high concern or harmful substances and achieve the goal of having 50% of dyes approved by Blue Label by the end of this year.
Adidas stated that by partnering with the blue logo, it is focusing on chemical inputs and strengthening its suppliers' management of process chemicals. Upon becoming an Adidas supplier, manufacturers are required to provide a detailed list and information on chemical substances related to the product manufacturing process. So far, suppliers have expressed their agreement with and support for this measure.
By using chemical information provided by suppliers, Adidas will be able to better understand which potentially harmful chemicals are used in its products and to identify opportunities for safer alternatives.
The detoxification of international brand products is a current international green trend. It is recommended that small and medium-sized enterprises in the domestic textile industry take stock of whether the chemicals used in their products and processes are listed as hazardous substances, and replace them with safe chemicals as soon as possible to keep up with the green product trend.
For a brief introduction to the Bluesign blue logo system, please see the attached file: flyer_bluesign-system_CN (Simplified Chinese).
Sources:Chemical Watch (2015-03-23) (Compiled by PIDC) Attachment file:flyer_bluesign-system_CN.pdf
