Requirements for Chemicals Management for Private Label Suppliers Textiles 1 Introduction Textiles are made from a wide range of materials: vegetable fibers such as cotton, flax, etc., animal materials such as wool, silk, leather, etc. Chemical fibers on the basis of mineral oil or chemical fibers on the basis of renewable raw materials such as wood or protein. The fibers are processed into finished products by spinning, weaving, knitting, dyeing, finishing and assembling. Textile production from fiber acquisition to completion affects people and the environment. Through the use mainly of chemicals and water, the so-called wet processes of dyeing and finishing have the greatest potentially critical impact. GALERIA Kaufhof has set itself the goal of managing the impacts of the use of chemicals on its own textile brands so that its customers, the employees in the factories, the people living near the factories and the environment itself are not harmed if at all possible. 2 Field of Application This document describes the requirements for the management of chemicals in the production of all of the private labels - textiles and home textiles - of GALERIA Kaufhof. The suppliers of private labels are obliged to forward the requirements to the factories where the wet processes take place, check whether these requirements are being met and submit corresponding documentary evidence to GALERIA Kaufhof. 3 General Requirements The factories where the wet processes are carried out must have a management system and qualifications of the employees which enable compliance with these requirements. They have to monitor and document the input of textile raw materials, chemicals, energy and water and the output of products, waste water, exhaust air, sludge and wastes. Additionally, they also have to provide corresponding information about this to GALERIA Kaufhof. 03.2017 1 von 5
4 Chemical Requirements 4.1 Prohibited Substances In all processing stages of the supply chain, the use of the following substances - also in formulations, for private textile labels of GALERIA Kaufhof - is being phased out step by step: Substances of very high concern for authorization on the ECHA candidate list Endocrine disruptors Restricted chemical substance classes of the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals Business Initiative (ZDHC) o Alkyl phenol ethoxylates/alkylphenols (APEOs/APEs) o Halogenated Flame Retardants o Chlorinated (Halogenated) Solvents o Chlorinated Benzenes o Chlorophenols o Heavy Metal o Organotin Compounds (e.g., TBT) o Per- and polyfluorinated chemicals o Ortho-phthalates o Short-Chained Chlorinated Paraffins o Azo dyes may release carcinogenic amines as defined in Annex XVII of REACH o Long-chain per- or poly-fluorinated chemicals (PFCs) 4.2 Restricted Substances Furthermore, GALERIA Kaufhof has established limit values for substances in products in its Product Quality Guidelines (PQGs) that go beyond legal requirements. These requirements also have to be met. 5 Requirements for Factories Factories have to meet all legal requirements at their location. Furthermore, they have to have a Quality and Environmental Management System, have to reduce waste and dispose of it in an environmentally friendly manner, use water carefully and feed the waste waters to a wastewater treatment plant. 5.1 Chemical Substance Inventory The factories have to maintain a written inventory of all chemicals used with name, CAS number and quantities. Hazardous chemicals must be stored and used safely. The employees must receive regular training in the use of the chemicals and be provided with the necessary protective equipment. The suppliers must inform GALERIA Kaufhof in a valid and credible form about all chemicals used for the production of the private labels with name and CAS number, so that the information is suitable for publication in a transparent manner with respect to third parties. 03.2017 2 von 5
In the case of the use of ready-to-use chemical formulations (commercial products), where this regulation would lead to undesirable disclosure of the formulation, GALERIA Kaufhof accepts the provision of the safety data sheet of the chemical formulation supplemented by a declaration of conformity by the chemical manufacturer. 5.1 Wastewater Treatment The factories have to pass the wastewaters from the textile production to a multi-stage, public or private wastewater treatment system. The correct functioning of the wastewater treatment plant is to be ensured. Compliance with specific wastewater parameters such as the ph value, temperature, AOX or TOC must be regularly monitored and appropriate measures are to be introduced if these values are exceeded. 5.2 Environmental Management The factories must have systematically recorded and evaluated their impacts on the environment. In addition, they must create the organizational requirements, record the current state of the environmental performance of the factory and derive any need for action and objectives from this. This must also be recorded in writing and compliance checked at regular intervals. 6 Confirmation 6.1 Generally Accepted Standards A number of existing standards ensure that the certified factory meets the requirements listed with respect to chemicals management. As of mid-2015, these are the following standards: A product marked and certified in accordance with one of these standards is assessed by GALERIA Kaufhof without any further proof as complying with the requirements for chemicals management. 03.2017 3 von 5
If only the factory where the wet processes are carried out is certified according to one of the standards, but not the final product, the supplier has to submit written confirmation that all products delivered to GALERIA Kaufhof have been dyed and finished exclusively at the certified factories. 6.1 Other Forms of Certification If the factory is already working together with a member of ZDHC and have already undergone a risk assessment, corresponding proof must be provided. The requirements are then considered to have been fulfilled until further notice. Should the factory be able to submit evidence of other initiatives and standards which deal with the management of chemicals in the textile supply chain, GALERIA Kaufhof will examine these and check their compliance with the requirements formulated here. If the factory has not yet undergone any assessment whatsoever of its chemicals management system, the supplier is to commission an independent third party at its own expense to carry out a review in accordance with one of the standards listed. 7 Reference Lists of Hazardous Substances 7.1 ECHA Candidate List of SVHCs The EU Member States currently have 173 substances registered for authorization with the European Chemicals Agency ECHA (as of March 2017). The substances are classified as being of very high concern because they are carcinogenic, mutagenic, hazardous to reproduction or have hormonal effects. http://echa.europa.eu/web/guest/candidate-list-table If an item contains one of these substances in a concentration of > 0.1% by weight, GALERIA Kaufhof is obliged to inform consumers of this on request. 7.2 ZDHC List of Restricted Substances (MRSL) In 2011, some major apparel and footwear brands and retailers placed themselves under a joint obligation to ban hazardous chemicals in the industry by 2020. The joint roadmap contains concrete commitments and deadlines in order to achieve this common goal. The members regularly submit a report on the progress achieved so far. The ZDHC Initiative has agreed on a list of chemical substances which will be subject to a stepby-step prohibition of use by 2020. The MRSL applies to chemicals which are used at facilities that process textile materials and decorative parts for use in clothing and shoes. The MRSL does not apply to leather processing and the manufacture of decorative metal parts. Chemicals on the MRSL are constituents which are potentially used in detergents, solvents, adhesives, protective agents, lacquers, paints, cleaning agents, dyes, pigments, auxiliaries, coatings and 03.2017 4 von 5
finishing agents for wet processing, servicing, waste water treatment, hygiene and pest control. http://www.roadmaptozero.com/programme-documents.php 7.3 Classification according to the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) Before being launched on the market, all chemicals are subject to compulsory classification and marking. By identifying hazardous properties of substances and marking them with hazard symbols, people and the environment are to be protected against adverse effects when chemicals are handled. The Globally Harmonized System (GHS) provides for the first time a globally standardized system for the classification and labeling of chemicals. The United Nations (UN) provides information on its website about the GHS and implementation guidance: http://www.unece.org/trans/danger/publi/ghs/ghs_welcome_e.html 03.2017 5 von 5