ZDHC Programme Testing Services

In 2011, six textile brands joined to form the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Programme with a mission of positive change in the discharge of hazardous chemicals across the textile and footwear lifecycle. There are now over 150 contributors to the ZDHC program including signature brands and those in the chemical, textile & footwear industries, and service providers. Intertek supports the ZDHC Wastewater Guidelines through our vast network of labs which are strategically located throughout Asia and Europe in key supplier/production markets.

The ZDHC MRSL is a list of chemical substances. These substances are banned from intentional use in facilities processing textile materials, leather, rubber, foam, adhesives and trim parts in textiles, apparel, and footwear. The ZDHC MRSL goes beyond the traditional approaches to chemical restrictions, which only apply to finished products (Product Restricted Substances List - PRSL). This approach helps to protect consumers while minimizing the possible impact of banned hazardous chemicals on production workers, local communities, and the environment.

From chemical agent manufacturers and factories/suppliers to brands, ZDHC MRSL affects every aspect of the supply chain.

Chemical Approval Process

Starting from March 2020, all certification organizations should approve the formulators products certified by them in ZDHC Gateway directly. The approval process is as below:

1. Chemical formulation registered and published
2. Visible in InCheck report as “Registered”
3. Visible to Brands and Suppliers as “Registered”
4. Certification Bodies verified the status to “Conformant”

Intertek is proud to be a contributor to the ZDHC Programme, a major body that is leading the textile, leather and footwear industries to advance towards zero discharge of hazardous chemicals. As a contributor, Intertek supports ZDHC’s vision of achieving the widespread implementation of sustainable chemistry and best practices in these industries to protect consumers, workers and the environment.

Intertek is recognized by ZDHC as a third-party certifier to help companies demonstrate MRSL Level 1 conformance on the ZDHC Gateway – Chemical Module, an online chemistry database that provides safety and sustainability information about chemicals registered in the database. Intertek laboratories are eligible to certify Level 1 Conformance against ZDHC’s MRSL, facilitating transparency in the supply chain. Intertek tests against the MRSL conformance guidance and assures compliance of the test data with the Quality Assurance and Quality Control requirements.

Moving upstream, Intertek has ZDHC-accepted laboratories for wastewater/sludge sampling, testing and data uploading in key garment sourcing and manufacturing regions to ZDHC Wastewater Guidelines.