Consumers love sustainability, now brands have begun to feel the chemistry too

With consumers being more conscious than ever of the impacts their fashion choices have on the environment and ecosystems, businesses are increasingly looking to implement more environmentally-friendly processes along their supply chains. Even with interest in sustainable fashion seemingly at its crescendo, brands are still trying to decipher how to implement these processes in the most cost-effective way. In this quest, they are increasing turning to sustainable chemistry and the potential it has for delivering measurable sustainability practices.

What is sustainable chemistry?

Without exception, materials whether natural or synthetic are comprised of chemicals, and therefore all manufactured consumer goods, including fashionwear, shoes, leathergoods, accessories and bags, are 100% chemical, in terms of composition. With such a total reliance on chemistry to make anything, it is paramount that the chemistry used is safe and considered when it comes to minimising the impact on humans and ecosystems.

Sustainable chemistry encompasses the design, manufacture and use of efficient, safe and more environmentally benign chemical products and processes and seeks to improve the efficiency with which natural resources are used to meet human needs for chemical products and services.

Why is sustainable chemistry necessary?

The absence of hazardous chemistry is highly controlled through responsible chemical manufacturing processes and legislation. However, despite this and the efforts of voluntary improvement programmes, testing data has shown that hazardous and restricted chemicals still enter supply chains.

These chemicals include alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEOs) which are hormone disrupting chemicals found in detergents and emulsifiers and can affect multiple types of chemical auxiliary, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) which are highly persistent chemicals found in many consumer products including water and soil-resistant textile surface treatments. Another example would be Phthalates, which are chemicals used to soften plastic materials and restricted forms and can often be found in coated and synthetic materials. These chemical groups cause adverse health effects in humans and mammals, particularly during early development. They also have a long-term negative environmental impact and pose a danger to the wider ecosystem, particularly aquatic organisms.

When considering the impact of chemicals in supply chains, there are multiple areas of high impact and concern, and proper use of sustainable chemistry is a key area. This starts upstream at the initial chemical manufacturing processes and continues all the way through to the end of product life.

Implementing sustainable chemistry in supply chains

There are numerous ways that fashion brands and suppliers can utilise sustainable chemistry in supply chains through third-party testing.

This includes toxicological assessments, RSL and MRSL testing to check for restricted substances, emissions testing and Smart Chemical Compliance Testing (SCCT), which allows for fast, intelligent, and cost-effective screening of chemicals, textile materials, and finished products for global chemical compliance purposes. The system is designed to screen hundreds of chemicals to provide a complete RSL health check within a specifically designed testing programme.

Eurofins Softlines & Leather’s Sustainable Chemistry Services have been developed by sustainability and industry-specific experts to help the fashion industry execute its sustainability commitments and implement improvements.

To get started on your sustainable chemistry journey, click here.