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How does the ZDHC Gateway – Chemical Module assess a chemical product’s level of conformance?

Please see the ZDHC MRSL Conformance Guidance by clicking here, for a complete description of this process and the requirements for becoming an accepted certification body and each conformance level.

How many levels of conformance are there, and what does each conformance level mean?

The ZDHC Gateway - Chemical Module operates to ZDHC’s latest ZDHC MRSL Conformance Guidance model. This model is based on three (3) levels of conformance starting at level zero. It is important to note that these confidence levels are not certifications in and of themselves; rather, they reflect the volume and quality of information available that a particular chemical product does, in fact, meet the ZDHC MRSL Criteria. Every level represents a positive piece of information available about a chemical product’s conformance.

Level 0 – Used to be the lowest level of confidence in meeting the ZDHC MRSL requirements and will be phased out by December 31, 2020. This means there is no review of the information provided by the chemical supplier by a ZDHC-accepted third-party.

Level 1 – the chemical product passed a third-party review of documentation that is issued by a ZDHC accepted Level 1 equivalent certification organisation.

Level 2 – the chemical product passed all the elements of MRSL Conformance Level 1 and a review of the chemical product stewardship practices (health, safety and environment) of the chemical supplier by the third-party certifier. The certification needs to be issued by a ZDHC accepted Level 2 equivalent certification organisation.

Level 3 – the chemical product has all requirements for the elements of MRSL Conformance Level 2 and passed a site visit to the chemical formulator to evaluate their chemical product stewardship first-hand. The certification needs to be issued by a ZDHC accepted Level 3 equivalent certification organisation.

What if my chemical products do not meet any of the conformance levels? (Formulators)

These chemical products will be listed in the ZDHC Gateway – Chemical Module as “Registered”, listed in the database with the ambition that they further develop their ingredients towards conformance.

What is the procedure to upgrade our current level 0 compliant chemical products to level 1? (Formulators)

Level 0 products are phased out from the ZDHC Gateway.

Specifically, within the transition period, the platform won’t accept any new uploads of Level 0 products. Any Level 0 products left on ZDHC Gateway without being upgraded to higher levels of conformance within 12 months from registration, will be downgraded to “Registered” on 1 January 2021. After the end of the transition period, only ZDHC MRSL V2.0 certified chemical product uploads will be accepted.

As a chemical formulator, if my chemical product has a certification to V1.1 and V2.0, what should I do on the Gateway - Chemical Module?

Upload the certificates, the ZDHC Gateway will automatically display the latest version.

What does the chemical formulator have to upload to the ZDHC Gateway - Chemical Module to show ZDHC MRSL conformance?

Depending on the conformance level it may be a test report or third-party documentation review (Level 1), a Level 2 which includes a review of the chemical product and documentation review of the formulator’s chemical product stewardship or a Level 3 review which requires a supplier site visit as a part of the chemical product stewardship review. This is the standard approach but there may be some exceptions.

How can chemical formulators upload a document that will change the conformance Level in the ZDHC Gateway - Chemical Module? For example, if a chemical manufacturer uploads an acceptable test report or an acceptable third-party certificate will the system change the rating of the chemical product automatically from self certification?

Yes, the system will automatically update the conformance rating when a new qualifying document is uploaded after it goes through the verification process.

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