The ZDHC Gateway can be used by formulators, ZDHC Approved MRSL Certifiers, suppliers, brands, vendors and ZDHC Approved Wastewater Laboratories. 

01/ User groups

Chemical Formulator

Refers to a person or business entity in the chemical industry involved in formulating, manufacturing, diluting, relabelling or mixing chemical products. Formulators can register on the ZDHC Gateway, upload and publish ZDHC MRSL-conforming chemical products, and make them available to their clients.

Supplier

A business entity that manufactures textiles, apparel, leather, and/or footwear-related materials or products and/or offers manufacturing or services to another party. Suppliers can register on the ZDHC Gateway to browse for safer chemicals and upload and share ClearStream and InCheck reports with their brand and vendor clients.

ZDHC Approved Wastewater Laboratory

A business entity that can conduct sampling and testing for ZDHC MRSL and wastewater parameters that demonstrate that they can attain and maintain the performance and quality standards of the ZDHC Foundation. ZDHC Approved Wastewater Laboratories can upload wastewater test reports for suppliers on the ZDHC Gateway.

ZDHC Approved MRSL Certifier

Refers to an entity that will evaluate all the necessary documentation, testing, and formulations that ZDHC accepts as an indicator of ZDHC MRSL Level 1, 2 or 3 Conformance. ZDHC MRSL Certifiers have access to the ZDHC Gateway to verify product certifications. 

ZDHC Signatory Brand & Signatory Friend of ZDHC-Brand

The Brand category includes brands, retailers, and online retailers. Brands can use the ZDHC Gateway to connect with their suppliers and view their input and output performance data.

Signatory Friend of ZDHC-Vendor

The Vendor category refers to intermediary brands or retailers that source indirectly, such as buying agents, trading companies, importers, wholesale companies, converters, and licensees working with brands. Vendors can connect with both their suppliers and brand clients, manage those relationships, and set transparency levels for sharing data within their supply chains on the ZDHC Gateway.

02/ How to get access to the ZDHC Gateway?

• Suppliers and formulators can access the ZDHC Gateway by receiving an invitation from a supply chain partner or by requesting one through the ZDHC Gateway.
• Brands can gain access to the ZDHC Gateway by becoming ZDHC Signatory Brand or Signatory Friend of ZDHC.
• Vendors can get an account on the ZDHC Gateway by first becoming a Signatory Friend of ZDHC - Vendor.
• ZDHC Signatory-Approved MRSL Certifiers can approve or decline chemical product certification information that is uploaded by formulators. To become a ZDHC Signatory-Approved MRSL Certifier, read more in the Find your Expert platform.
• ZDHC Signatory-Approved Wastewater Laboratories can attain and maintain the performance and quality standards set by the ZDHC Foundation. To become a ZDHC Signatory-Approved Wastewater Laboratory, read more in the Find your Expert platform.

For more details on how to register your organisation in the ZDHC Gateway, read this article.

03/ What are the key functions of the user groups?

Formulators

• Upload ZDHC MRSL conformant chemical products.
• Assign ZDHC Approved MRSL Certifiers to the products.
• Publish ZDHC MRSL conformant chemical products.
• Create ChemCheck reports (product passports) or ChemCheck Summary reports (product passport summaries) to prove the ZDHC MRSL conformance of chemical products to customers.

ZDHC Approved MRSL Certifiers

• Review product assignments and assign MRSL certificates.
• Push certification information into chemical product profiles created by formulators so that formulators can publish products.

Suppliers

• Invite stakeholders from their value chain to the platform.
• Search for chemical products uploaded by formulators by using the enhanced filtering options.
• Measure the ZDHC MRSL conformance of their input chemistry via an InCheck Report (chemical inventory assessment).
• Generate a ZDHC Clearstream report once the accepted laboratories have uploaded their test results.
• Can upload CAP/RCA if needed to show that action is taken.
• Send connection requests to vendors and brands to disclose InCheck data and ClearStream data to them.

Brands

• Upon becoming a ZDHC Signatory Brand or a Signatory Friend of ZDHC - Brand, brands will receive login credentials to access the ZDHC Gateway.
• Invite stakeholders from their value chain to the platform.
• Search for chemical products uploaded and published by formulators by using the enhanced filtering options.
• Set brand filters to show their preferred chemicals to suppliers
• Access the Data Hub to download reports.
• Send a connection request to suppliers and vendors.

Vendors

• Upon becoming a Signatory Friend of ZDHC - Vendor, vendors will receive login credentials to access the ZDHC Gateway.
• Invite stakeholders from their value chain to the platform.
• Search for chemical products uploaded and published by formulators by using the enhanced filtering options. 
• Send a connection request to suppliers.
• Connect with brand partners and assign specific suppliers to each of their brand connections.
• Access comprehensive ZDHC Vendor Reports to share your own performance with brand partners.

ZDHC Approved Wastewater Laboratories

• Upon becoming a ZDHC Approved Wastewater Laboratory, credentials will be provided to log in to the ZDHC Gateway.
• Perform the physical sampling and testing outside the platform, then enter the results for each parameter on the platform.
• Submit ClearStream test results.

04/ What types of roles are in the ZDHC Gateway?

There are two types of roles available in the ZDHC Gateway: organisation Admin or organisation Member. If you want to get a better understanding of how these work, review How do I manage roles and permissions for my team?.