Hohenstein, a testing partner in textile industry and Scivera, an innovator in identification of hazardous chemicals in products, have announced streamlining of process for chemical suppliers to assess and validate preferred chemicals and to proactively improve formulations to ZDHC MRSL conformance level 3 and beyond for apparel, footwear and home textiles.
The collaboration integrates software, certification and analytical testing to enable suppliers to improve and verify greener formulations. Brands taking action to move beyond MRSL compliance, including Levi Strauss & Co, will benefit from meeting ZDHC goals along with verified greener chemistries they can trust.
“Progressive brands and chemical suppliers are showing strong leadership that will positively impact our industry, consumer safety and the environment,†John Frazier, senior technical director at Hohenstein, said. This is a systems approach to achieve then move beyond MRSL compliance to verified, greener chemistry.
Engaging with Hohenstein or Scivera as their lead service provider, chemical suppliers can take advantage of the streamlined process to meet greener chemistry requirements for a growing number of brands. Formulations certified with Screened Chemistry through Scivera and conforming to ZDHC MRSL level 3 through Eco Passport by Oeko-Tex with Hohenstein can go beyond level 3 by assessing and verifying greener attributes.
“Greener chemistry means formulating and using chemistries that have verified, preferred characteristics to create safer conditions for workers, consumers and the environment. When applied together, the powerful tools offered by Hohenstein and Scivera remove barriers, enable continuous improvement and make greener chemistry attainable,†Joe Rinkevich, president at Scivera, said.
Hohenstein offers the Eco Passport by Oeko-Tex certification to manage and verify chemicals, dyes and auxiliaries. Following RSL/MRSL screening, analytical testing, feedback and assessments, certified chemicals are listed in the Oeko-Tex Buying Guide and pushed to the ZDHC Chemical Gateway at MRSL conformance levels 1, 2 or 3.
Scivera offers its globally accessible platform, SciveraLens, to support their Screened Chemistry Scoring and Certification for hazard assessment of formulation ingredients and impurities. Through the platform, users evaluate the characteristics of individual chemicals and formulations for sourcing and formulation decisions and preview these results to improve scores and avoid regrettable chemical substitutions.