Environmental protection in textile manufacturing becomes more and more
important. Consumers and companies have begun looking at environmental
issues at a deeper level. The product is no longer the only concern during
production, but rather the overall outcome of the entire process including
waste water and air emission must be considered. With the bluefinder™,
manufacturers now have the possibility to consciously select the best
components, not only for their products, but also for the people and the
environment.
Consumers and NGOs more and more call for environmentally friendly textile
products. This also includes an environmentally friendly production. Currently, the
textile industry uses about 25 % of the worldwide produced chemicals. Up to 700
liters of fresh water are used for the finishing of 1 kg of textile. For a big retailer this
accounts forover 2000 small lakes for the yearly production. And the more water is
used, the more energy is needed which contributes to global warming. At the same
time consumer testing organizations continue to find substances in textile products
that are harmful to the people or the environment. Retailers and brand companies
have introduced “Restricted Substance Lists” (so-called RSLs) to counteract this
situation, though often with little success. For a product to be truly environmentally
friendly, consumer safety as well as all environmental aspects of production must be
considered. During production, where decisions on resource usage, processes and
operations are made, a practicable tool for eco-efficient manufacture must be
provided: the bluesign® standard.
The bluesign® standard takes a different approach. Instead of focusing on the final
product, it tackles the problem at its root. With a sophisticated “Input Stream
Management”, all input streams are analyzed, from raw materials, to chemical
components, to resources.Prior to production, every component is assessed and
receives a rating based on its ecotoxicological impact. This way potentially harmful
substances can be eliminated before production even begins. However, it’s important
to keep in mind, that chemicals are necessary to meet certain performance
requirements. It’s not possible to have durable water repellency, high-tech
membranes or innovative coatings without the use of intelligent chemistry. In these
cases it is fundamental to properly manage the manufacturing process, including
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smart end-of-pipe solutions to protect the environment.The bluesign® standard goes
even further. For a product to be truly eco-efficient, it must be manufactured with as
little resources as possible. Along with the reduction of air emission and water
emission, the safeguardingof consumer protection and occupational health and
safety, a particular focus lies on the optimization of resource usage.
For this purpose bluesign technologies developed the homologation process where all
chemical components are assessed and rated based on their ecotoxicological profile.
Components that meet the strict requirements of the bluesign® standard are labeled
“bluesign® approved”. The use of such bluesign® approved components is mandatory
for textile manufacturers to meet the bluesign® standard in their textile
manufacturing facilities.All “bluesign® approved” products are contained in a growing
online database called bluefinder™. Previously only manufacturers who had conducted
an on-site bluesign® screening at their manufacturing site gained access to this
powerful tool. However, for various reasons, bluesign technologies decided to open
access to the bluefinder™ to other manufacturers as well. All manufacturers,
regardless of their relations with bluesign technologies, can now subscribe to the
bluefinder™.
The bluefinder™ is specifically designed for textile manufacturers to provide them with
a simple and practicable tool which allows searching for innovative and effective
textile chemicals such as auxiliaries, dyestuffs, finishing agents and coatings. The
bluefinder™ is easy-to-use and contains all the relevant information for the
manufacturer to select the most appropriate components for his processes and
products. The information provided is on a need-to-know basis breaking down the
often complicated environmental facts to an understandable level. The bluefinder™
relies in this context on the rating calculated during the homologation process.
Integrating the bluefinder™ in the manufacturer’s daily business is the first step to
manage the various RSLs because the bluefinder™ does not neglect current RSLs but
its concept embraces all importantRSLs includingLevi’s, Nike, Columbia, C&A, H&M
and various others.At the same time it is a means for brands to protect themselves
from the risks of finding harmful substances in their products or even worse, from
claims and articles that ruin their reputation.Although the bluefinder™ does not cover
all aspects to guarantee an eco-friendly production, the most pressing issues on the
consumer safety side are covered by working with the bluefinder™.
For manufacturers to achieve truly eco-friendly production, and to meet the bluesign®
standard, an on-site bluesign® screening evaluating the local environmental, resource
and workplace situation according to the five principles of the bluesign® standardis
required.A bluesign® screening also reveals resource and cost saving potentials.
Producing according to the highest environmental standards leads to a more efficient
resource usage which also translates into cost savings. Hence, true eco-friendly
production not only protects the consumer and the environment, it also allows
reducing resource usage and production costs.
The bluefinder™ is a very convenient tool for textile manufacturers to quickly manage
and solve the most pressing issues regarding consumer safety in their manufacturing
facilities Working with the bluefinder™ is a simple method to comply with various
important RSLs. Proactively dealing with environmental aspects will be more and more
important and will be crucial for future success. Claiming “if you don’t know you don’t
care” is no longer valid, especially since “what you don’t know can cost you”.
About bluesign technologies ag
bluesign technologies ag was founded in 2000. Since then, the bluesign® standard
has been adopted by various leading textile manufacturersand is supported by
several key players of the chemical industry including Huntsman Textile Effects,
Clariant International Ltd., Erba AG, Sanitized AG and Granger’s International Ltd.