bluesign system Version 1.0 April 01, 2014

Transcription

1 bluesign system Version 1.0 April 01, 201

2 Content 1 Introduction 2 Scope Definitions BAT bluesign system bluesign system partner bluesign applications bluesign system substances list (BSSL) Brand Chemical product Chemical substance Converter Input stream management Manufacturer bluesign system partner 5 5 Input stream management Chemical supplier Manufacturer Chemical assessment bluesign rating Restrictions and bans for chemical substances bluesign bluefinder - Positive list of blue and grey rated chemical products 7 Resource productivity 8 8 bluesign criteria Trademarks bluesign criteria for production sites bluesign approved Scope Chemical products 9.1. Articles bluesign product Requirements for trademark users Article requirements bluesign applications bluesign bluetool bluesign bluefinder bluesign blueguide 11 System integrity 1 12 Consultative bodies Advisory Board Stakeholders 1 Validity 1 1 Other applicable documents 1 2 1

3 1 Introduction Taking the responsibility when it comes to environmental and consumer protection is the challenge that future-driven businesses have to accept long before politics, legislators or authorities force them into a new way of thinking. However, many companies have learned from their own attempts, that this can be a quite challenging task. The way towards sustainable production can not and should not be taken alone - it involves co-operation of the whole supply chain network and the commitment for a continuous improvement. Real changes can be achieved only by mutual understanding between the involved parties. Under the roof of the bluesign system there is an ever growing network of companies from chemical suppliers to manufactures and brands. These interacting parties, called bluesign system partners, are guided by a set of bluesign criteria. Each bluesign system partner shares within the bluesign system their own and unique expertise and tasks that shall be integrated towards a collective goal of responsible management of resources as well as human and environmentally friendly production and products. The bluesign system as a holistic approach based on input stream management and sophisticated chemicals management assures that harmful substances are minimized or even eliminated from the manufacturing process. Managing inputs and responsible actions across the whole supply chain lead to the desired credibility towards the community. bluesign technologies supports the efforts of the bluesign system partners by providing a solution and services to foster the mutual aim of social responsibility, environmentally friendly and safe production, conservation of natural resources and a high level of product safety. 2 Scope The today s scope of the bluesign system includes the textile and leather supply chain from chemical suppliers to manufacturers to brands and respectively from chemical products to consumer goods. Definitions.1 BAT Best Available Techniques. The bluesign system supports the implementation of BAT at all levels of the supply chain..2 bluesign system The bluesign system integrates the relevant parties across the supply chain, sets criteria and defines actions that determine their behavior towards human and environmentally friendly production and products.. bluesign system partner A company committed to the bluesign system and holding a valid bluesign system partner agreement (see also Chapter 5).. bluesign applications A set of web-based tools and databases (bluesign bluetool, bluesign bluefinder, bluesign blueguide) that support the implementation of the bluesign system..5 bluesign system substances list (BSSL) A list that specifies limits and bans for chemical substances following the bluesign criteria for chemical assessment (Homologation). bluesign system substances list (BSSL- Consumer safety limits) is available as a print version and a pdf. Limits and bans for the BSSL substances in chemical products are documented in the bluesign bluetool 1

4 .6 Brand An originator of the final product and owner of any associated label/trademark..7 Chemical product A commercial product which can be a chemical substance or a mixture..8 Chemical substance A chemical element and his compounds with constant composition and properties. It is defined by the CAS number..9 Converter A company selling textile articles (all processing levels), finished leather articles and accessories for use in textile and leather industry that are sourced from a sub-supplier. A converter does not have any installed chemical or physical finishing steps. Original products are sold without any change with exception of make-up/packaging..10 Input stream management Using for manufacturing of articles only those chemical products and other raw materials which are assessed based on their risk for people and environment, thus minimizing or even eliminating harmful substances before the manufacturing begins. A similar approach applies for both upstream and downstream parties across the supply chain..11 Manufacturer A company that produces textile articles (all processing levels) leather and accessories. 1

5 bluesign system partner The network of bluesign system partners consists of chemical suppliers, manufacturers of textile and leather products and accessories, converters and brands. Agreements between the bluesign system partner and bluesign technologies specify the appropriate scope of supply of the system partnership. Respective bluesign criteria form part of the agreements. The bluesign system partners strive for a high level of safety for people, responsible use of resources and a continuous improvement of the environmental performance. They shall embrace, within their sphere of influence, the ten principles of the UN GLOBAL COMPACT in the areas of human right, labor standards, environment and anti-corruption. In order to meet the prescribed criteria all involved parties need to follow a clear and universal procedure. Depending on the industry branch the following main milestones and actions are defined: Successful screening/audit/assessment Signing bluesign system partner agreement Implementation of mandatory actions within a given time frame Further continuous improvement following an itemized action plan and monitoring improvements by means of re-screenings, re-audits, re-assessments Certification of chemical products and articles Labeling 5 Input stream management Instead of focusing only on the finished product an input stream management integrates also the upstream parts of the supply chain. Prior to the use in manufacturing the chemical products and other raw materials are assessed based on their toxicological and ecological properties. Limit values and bans for chemical substances are defined. A suitable input stream management and process control ensure that the final product is of defined quality, that the manufacturing process conforms to the legal requirements and to the bluesign criteria and that both the manufacturing process and the final product have the least possible impact on people and environment. Harmful substances can hence be minimized or even eliminated before manufacturing begins. Figure 7.1 Input stream management 5.1 Chemical supplier Chemical companies have full responsibility for the products they manufacture, purchase, store and market to their customers. Correct and sufficient classification and labeling of chemical products as well as compliance with the relevant bluesign criteria can only be assured if the chemical company is serious about the principles of the product stewardship. 5 1

6 The product stewardship team has to work interdisciplinary in an internal and external network of stakeholders. An appropriate input stream management concerning chemical raw materials and intermediates shall assure that sufficient knowledge on the raw materials (active components) and adequate information on by-products and impurities is given. Effective quality control of the raw materials by means of chemical analysis shall be established as a routine procedure. Relevant supplier information shall assure that the bluesign criteria concerning restricted and banned substances can be met. 5.2 Manufacturer Using only bluesign approved chemical products from bluesign system partners shall be the goal. Non-system partner chemistry must be phased-out/replaced as soon as possible. Taking into consideration that a phase-out/replacement of non-system partner chemical products is often linked with the time consuming actions such as adaption of recipes lab and production trials additional lab testing newly adapted sourcing creation/expansion of the bluesign network the change in the chemical product portfolio of a manufacturer can be done practically speaking only step by step. The bluesign criteria reflect this situation by means of a stepwise phase-out procedure of non-system partner chemical products during the implementation phase of the bluesign system. The bluesign bluefinder, with its positive list of bluesign approved chemical products, plays an important role in the chemical substitution process and shall be implemented into the chemicals management system of every manufacturer. 6 Chemical assessment The chemicals used in the production of textiles and leather generally fall into two classes: Effect chemicals: designed to remain on the finished product ("be fixed", e.g. colorants, easy-care finishes, etc.); only very small amounts of these substances will be found in the wastewater effluent or the off-gas. Process chemicals: used to support the finishing processes (e.g. leveling agents, wetting agents) or to pretreat the raw material (e.g. detergents); may be completely introduced into the wastewater effluent during the production. The possible consequences for the worker, consumer, and the environment depend on which of the above categories the chemical belongs to. However, often not the active substances mentioned above but the additives (e.g. dispersing agents in dyes) or the impurities (e.g. monomer residues in polymers) are the reason for a possible negative impact on people and the environment. Therefore the homologation procedure considers also these types of substances. Hazard identification and appraisal of exposure followed by a risk assessment of chemical substances that are contained intentionally or non-intentionally in the chemical products is one of the main fundamental pillars of the homologation procedure. Based on the detailed knowledge and data delivered by system partners from chemical industry a well-founded assessment of the respective chemical products can be performed. The web based bluesign bluetool serves as the assessment tool for auxiliaries and dyestuffs. The paramount idea of the bluesign chemical assessment (homologation process) is to provide chemical suppliers as well as downstream users with the tools to reduce or even eliminate harmful chemicals in consumer goods and to minimize emissions to the environment (Fig. 6.1). 6 1

7 The outcomes of homologation are the bluesign system substances list (BSSL); around 900 substances are considered usage bans for chemical substances in manufacturing (for about 600 substances a usage ban is defined) limits for chemical substances in chemical products (documented in the bluesign bluetool) blue, grey and black rating of chemical products limits for chemical substances in articles (consumer safety limits; see BSSL-consumer safety limits) web-based bluesign bluefinder, a positive list of blue and grey rated chemical products Figure 6.1 bluesign homologation process. 7 1

8 6.1 bluesign rating Chemical products supplied from bluesign system partners are rated. Three rating scores can result: blue, grey or black. Chemical products that comply with the bluesign criteria are divided into categories blue or grey : Blue chemical products entirely fulfill the requirements of the bluesign criteria based on realistic worst-case exposure scenarios and may be used for all applications. Grey chemical products may be used in the production only under certain conditions. The principle of the Best Available Techniques (BAT) applies in this case. Chemical products that do not meet the strict requirements of the bluesign criteria fall into the category black and must be eliminated from the manufacturing process. 6.2 Restrictions and bans for chemical substances As of 201, the BSSL contains about 900 chemical substances. So far for about 600 substances a usage ban has been defined. 6. bluesign bluefinder - Positive list of blue and grey rated chemical products The bluesign homologation provides a foundation for developing a positive list of blue and grey chemical products, which shall solely be used in the manufacturing process of bluesign system partners. The list is available as a web-based application the bluesign bluefinder Usage ranges Three usage ranges (A, B, C) are defined, with A being the most stringent category concerning limit values/bans: 7 Usage Range A: Next to skin use and baby-safe (0 to years) Usage Range B: Occasional skin contact Usage Range C: No skin contact Resource productivity Resource productivity defines the ecological and economical willingness to manufacture products of defined quality and added value with a minimum required resources and the lowest environmental impact possible. The textile companies shall aim at reducing their ecological footprint expressed as energy and material input per kilogram of manufactured textile product. The environmental impact decreases by a reduced amount of resources used, while simultaneously the added value of the products increases. Thus an intelligent and careful resource management during the complete production process can lead to the cost savings. The bluesign system helps optimizing the process efficiency by minimizing both energy and material input. As the first step an evaluation of the available data concerning water, energy, chemicals and raw materials consumption is performed. It is followed by an in-depth analysis and benchmarking of the obtained results against publicly available data and numbers shared by other system partners. Finally, the buesign expertise provides the recommendations on the potential improvement of resource efficiency that are supported by the respective BATs. 8 1

9 8 bluesign criteria The bluesign criteria define the requirements for inputs, production sites and products. bluesign criteria for chemical assessment (homologation) bluesign criteria for production sites bluesign criteria for converters bluesign criteria for brands bluesign criteria for bluesign product and bluesign approved trademarks 8.1 bluesign criteria for production sites A proactive strategy towards a clean and transparent production shall be promoted. The criteria related to the legal compliance, management system, effective housekeeping and maintenance, product stewardship, resource productivity, emissions and Occupational Health and Safety are meant to provide direction to the bluesign system partners towards the optimization of the environmental performance and minimization of the impact to people and environment. At the production site(s) of a bluesign system partner the following principles shall be the guidance for all activities: The activities performed at the production site must not have harmful impact on human beings, animals, plants, soil, aquatic bodies or the atmosphere. A high level of human health and environmental protection shall be ensured with the goal of achieving sustainable development. A system partner shall be aware of Best Available Techniques (BAT) that are relevant for the industry and shall implement those techniques to continuously improve environmental performance. The requirements for production sites defined by the respective criteria are reviewed by the screening or audit carried out by bluesign technologies. The results are summarized in an audit/screening report. The report includes, among others, a decision of bluesign technologies on the compliance of the company with the relevant bluesign criteria. In case of non-conformities corrective actions including a time table are prescribed. Furthermore, the recommendations for continuous improvements are given. Finally, the audit/screening report concludes whether or not a system partnership is recommended. 9 1

10 9 Trademarks Communication of bluesign trademarks and rights of use are described in the Communication Guidelines and bilateral trademark agreements. 9.1 bluesign approved Scope The trademark bluesign approved in terms of this document applies to chemical products for industrial use in the textile and leather industry and related industries (accessory manufacturing) textile articles (all processing levels (man-made fibers, yarns, raw fabrics, dyed, finished, coated fabrics etc.) for industrial use finished leather articles for industrial use accessories Chemical products A bluesign approved chemical product must comply with bluesign criteria for chemical assessment (Homologation) be rated blue or grey be registered in the bluesign bluefinder A chemical supplier willing to use the bluesign approved trademark must follow the bluesign criteria for production sites Annex: Chemical supplier be a bluesign system partner with the right to use bluesign approved trademark have successfully applied for homologation of chemical products 9.1. Articles A bluesign approved article must be conform to the chemicals management requirements (compare bluesign criteria for production sites Supplement: Chemicals management for manufacturer) comply with BSSL - Consumer safety limits be registered in the bluesign blueguide A manufacturer willing to use the bluesign approved trademark must follow the bluesign criteria for production sites and related annex documents be a bluesign system partner with the right to use bluesign approved trademark have successfully applied for certification of articles A converter willing to use the bluesign approved trademark must Follow the bluesign criteria for converters be a bluesign system partner with the right to use bluesign approved trademark have successfully applied for registration of articles 10 1

11 9.2 bluesign product The trademark bluesign product applies to consumer goods with textile character manufactured for direct consumer use. The following product categories are currently outside the scope of bluesign product: Footwear Medical supply such as dressings and bandages Hygiene products Toys Food safe articles Furniture Requirements for trademark users To use the bluesign product trademark, a trademark user must be a bluesign system partner and have signed a bluesign trademark agreement. be authorized with a formal authorization paper issued by bluesign technologies to declare articles as bluesign product maintain a robust quality assurance system to manage the supply chain and verify the suppliers qualification Article requirements The components of an article must meet the requirements described in Table 9.1 Usage Range A + B apparel, sleeping bag Share of bluesign approved fabrics Share of bluesign approved accessories Non bluesign approved components Usage Range C backpack, bag, tent, 90 % 0 % 20 % provided by a qualified supplier Table 9.1 Requirements for articles which shall be labelled with bluesign product 11 1

12 10 bluesign applications To assure an easy implementation of the bluesign system, bluesign technologies offers three globally accessible online applications: bluesign bluetool, bluesign bluefinder and bluesign blueguide bluesign bluetool The bluesign bluetool is a web-based software application for chemical suppliers to guide them through the homologation procedure. Its main features include: collection of restrictions and limit bans for chemical substances and mixtures which are calculated based on the risk assessment data exchange between chemical suppliers and bluesign technologies integrated guidance for the correct and complete data entry easy to handle registration and rating of chemical products 10.2 bluesign bluefinder The bluesign bluefinder is an advanced online search engine for bluesign approved blue and grey chemical products. It is designed for manufacturers willing to produce approved materials. Its main features include: continuously updated selection of bluesign approved chemical products such as dyestuffs and auxiliaries information on application restrictions regarding grey-rated chemical products grouping of chemical products based on their applications, e.g. dyestuffs, detergents, softening agents, etc. easy search for alternatives to already existing applications database with contact details of chemical suppliers 10. bluesign blueguide The bluesign blueguide is the global sourcing tool for fabrics and accessories which meet the highest criteria regarding protection of resources, people and environment. It is designed for brands searching for fabrics and accessories. Its main features include: globally accessible and easily comprehensible database for bluesign approved yarns fabrics and accessories possibility of bluesign approved products tracking constantly expanding know-how section concerning resource efficiency and environmental impact database with contact details of textile and accessory manufacturers 12 1

13 11 System integrity The following routine procedures assure the implementation of the bluesign system: follow-up of action plans testing of chemical products and articles regular reporting of chemical inventory list and resource key figures re-screenings and re-audits latest after years Beyond the above mentioned routine procedures the integrity measures ensure credibility and a high level of efficiency of the bluesign system and foster the reliability of bluesign trademarks: tracing of bluesign approved articles and chemical products as well as bluesign product spot tests of bluesign approved chemical products and articles as well as bluesign product based on a defined testing program unannounced company inspections tracking of deviations 12 Consultative bodies 12.1 Advisory Board The role of Advisory Board is to be visionary in the guidance of bluesign technologies in a way that anticipates the ever-changing ideal of sustainable production and challenges the organization to be proactive in services offered. Another task shall be identifying upcoming political, legislative, scientific, sustainability and regulatory developments. The Advisory Board comes together in face-to-face meetings and other means of communication, to discuss how sustainable thinking is, or could evolve. The Advisory Board provides the direction for bluesign technologies with regard to conservation of natural resources, environmentally friendly and safe production and a high level of product safety Stakeholders The expertise of bluesign system partners is a valuable input for a continuous improvement of the bluesign system. The collaborative approach allows to rapidly adapt the bluesign system to upcoming requirements within the ever changing world of our community. Cooperation of stakeholders is managed by biennial bluesign conferences regular meetings of working groups with bluesign system partners from chemical industry, manufacturers and brands cooperation of bluesign technologies in various global stakeholder committees 1 Validity This document comes into effect from April 01, 201. It replaces the bluesign standard, edition 1.2 from March This document is subject to changes. Changes will come into effect after prior notice and defined transition time. 1 1

14 1 Other applicable documents bluesign criteria for production sites with all related annex documents (effective versions) bluesign criteria for converters (effective version) bluesign criteria for brands (effective version) bluesign criteria for chemical assessment (Homologation) with all related annex documents (effective versions) bluesign criteria for bluesign product (effective version) bluesign criteria for bluesign approved chemical products and articles for industrial use (effective version) bluesign criteria for bluesign approved chemical products for consumer use (effective version) bluesign communication guidelines (effective version) bluesign glossary (effective version) bluesign system substances list (BSSL; effective version) 1 1