Chemicals to Zero is a ZDHC programme to drive better chemistry in chemical formulations used in the apparel, footwear, leather and textile industry. The ZDHC MRSL Conformance Guidance V2.0 is the basis for formulations to qualify for the CtZ Foundational level. Building on this established requirement, the CtZ Progressive level expands this into predicting risks towards the AFIRM RSL in final articles (end products).

The CtZ- Progressive also relies on suppliers applying these formulations as per the instructions of the chemical formulator. Progressing on this journey for formulations, the CtZ Aspirational level will require formulations to meet additional attributes of sustainable chemistry.

The CtZ will be part of the Leader Programme for the chemical industry (called Formulators to Zero) where CtZ requirements will be combined with additional attributes as an organisation at each level. The Formulators to Zero Leader Programme concept is currently a work- in- progress at ZDHC.

Conformance to the ZDHC MRSL V3.1 (Conformance levels 1,2,3), allows suppliers to assure themselves and their customers that banned chemical substances are not intentionally used during textile and footwear production processes. However, conformance to the ZDHC MRSL is not a guarantee that the requirements of product safety (in terms of RSL) are met.

ZDHC recognises it is necessary to develop a roadmap for formulations that goes beyond MRSL conformance and minimises risks in output streams and further provides a framework and metrics to define sustainable chemistry attributes for a formulation.

The Chemicals to Zero Programme will help formulators to differentiate their formulations and showcase added value for better chemistry at each level of the Programme.

Chemicals to Zero (CtZ) is part of our continuous improvement exercise towards better chemistry. CtZ will be one component of the larger Formulator to Zero (FtZ) Leader Programme for formulators, where CtZ requirements will be combined with additional attributes as an organisation at each level. (The FtZ concept is a work in progress by ZDHC and further updates will be shared in the future.)

There will be three different levels of Chemicals to Zero; Foundational, Progressive and Aspirational.

CtZ-Foundational: Formulations that conform to the ZDHC MRSL conformance levels 1,2 or 3 as described in the ZDHC MRSL Conformance Guidance V2.0 document

 CtZ-Progressive: Formulations that meet the requirements of ZDHC MRSL Conformance Level 2 (at least) or Level 3 and are expected to respect AFIRM RSL limits in articles, when applied accordingly to the chemical manufacturer’s instructions.

To meet CtZ-P, a chemical formulation must meet the requirement of:

Minimum MRSL Conformance Level 2 criteria + AFIRM RSL

(When applied as per the instructions of the chemical formulator)

(Disclaimer: A CtZ-P formulation does not guarantee conformance to the AFIRM RSL, but minimises the risk of non-conformance in the end product and enables manufacturers to make informed choices to produce safer and more sustainable products that meet the expectations of consumers and regulatory bodies)

The CtZ- Progressive will integrate a process developed as part of The List by Inditex to correlate MRSL conformance of chemical formulations with major RSL risks in finished products.

 CtZ–Aspirational: Formulations that meet the requirements of ZDHC MRSL Level 3 (minimum) and CtZ-Progressive and which confirm metrics related to sustainable chemistry attributes. The CtZ-Aspirational framework will be developed at a later stage.

The implementation of the CtZ-P will require development of a detailed framework. This will define the rules and principles to qualify a formulation assigned to the CtZ-P on the ZDHC Gateway. For this, ZDHC will set up a Technical Experts team, reporting to the MRSL Council, to prepare a framework for CtZ-P, including a risk matrix for predicting risks to the AFIRM RSL from the ZDHC MRSL conformant formulation. The outcome would be a series of RSL risk matrices for textiles, leather, polymers and, eventually, commodity chemicals. A range of data sources will be utilised to support the risk assessments, with correlation studies initiated where little or no data currently exists. Based on the risk assessment results, the Technical Experts team would develop a classification system for the CtZ-Progressive Level framework.

The Technical Experts team would work closely with stakeholders from the textile, leather, and polymer manufacturing supply chains to identify chemistry types and associated risks from substances listed in the ZDHC MRSL and AFIRM RSL.

The CtZ- P Guideline is expected to be released in December 2023.

Brands can recommend their supply chain to use formulations assigned to the CtZ-P level, giving assurance of reduced risks to the AFIRM RSL in end products. Improving confidence to brands that products delivered are safe and legal.

Suppliers can make informed decisions when purchasing chemical formulations assigned to the CtZ-P to minimise the risk of non-conformance to the RSL requirements of their buyers. This will not only help them to ensure that banned substances are not used intentionally in their manufacturing processes through conformance to the ZDHC MRSL, but will also help them produce safer and more sustainable articles that meet the expectations of consumers and regulatory bodies. It is also a demonstration of the shared responsibility of the supplier for RSL conformance.

The labelling of Chemicals to Zero-Progressive on the ZDHC Gateway will enable chemical formulators to demonstrate to customers (manufacturing facilities) the better chemistry of their products. Although it is not a guarantee for RSL conformance, it will help to give added assurance, when the formulation is applied as per instructions provided by the formulator. Thus, by qualifying formulations to the CtZ-P, formulators can differentiate their formulations for added value to their customers.