ZDHC MRSL News - December 2020

ZDHC MRSL and bluesign® alignment‍

The MRSL Council - an independent group to ensure objective decision making - has made two minor revisions to the ZDHC MRSL V2.0 compound listings to bring it in alignment with bluesign(TM). These changes do not impact formulations already approved for ZDHC MRSL V2.0. 

The adjustments made to ZDHC MRSL V2.0 to further alignment with the bluesign are:

• The limit in chemical formulations for benzyl chloride has been changed from 5-ppm to 50-ppm and an updated laboratory test method added to the list of acceptable methods for testing to improve data quality while aligning. 
• The limit for tri- and tetra-chlorotoluene isomers has been changed from 5-ppm to 10-ppm with an exception for pigments.
  

“Two minor adjustments are made to the ZDHC MRSL V2.0 to align with the highly respected bluesign® limits. Having access to thousands of ZDHC MRSL conformant formulations on the ZDHC Gateway enables the textile and leather industry to easily avoid problematic chemical inputs and accelerate positive change. The MRSL Council has taken the opportunity to update the ZDHC MRSL Candidate List to signal significant strengthening of restrictions that are intended to be introduced at the next full update.” Phil Patterson ( MRSL Council Chair)

“In a joint effort between bluesign® Chemical Expert Group (CEG) and the MRSL Council, bluesign® as a ZDHC Contributor is pleased to announce that ZDHC MRSL and BSBL (bluesign® system black limits), which includes all substances for which bluesign® defines a precautionary hazard based threshold limit, are aligned. bluesign® APPROVED chemical products (registered in bluesign® FINDER) comply with ZDHC MRSL V2.0/Level 3 category in the ZDHC Gateway as of 1 January 2021.” Dr. Thomas Schaefer, head of bluesign® ACADEMY and a member of ZDHC MRSL Council.

ZDHC MRSL Candidate List

The intended restrictions to be included in the next full update of substances listed on the ZDHC MRSL Candidate List have been strengthened as follows (for a full list check the change log) ;

• Free Aniline, in line with best available technology the MRSL Council proposes a 2000 ppm limit value for indigo dyes.
• For PFCs, the restrictions have been strengthened and clarified by listing the specific PFC analytes to be restricted, to align current testing capabilities for PFCs

Level 0 MRSL Conformance is Phased Out

There are now multiple ZDHC Accepted Conformance Indicators capable of providing third-party ZDHC MRSL conformance certifications and conformance Level 0-supplier declaration is being eliminated. From January 2021 onwards chemical products on the ZDHC Gateway will only receive a ZDHC MRSL Conformance Level if verified by a third-party which is accepted by the ZDHC (for up-to-date list, click here). Any formulation that is not verified by a ZDHC accepted third-party will be automatically changed to “registered”.

“The fact that the Industry is ready to move on from Supplier Declarations (Level 0) shows the strides the Industry has made with implementation of the Roadmap to Zero Programme. It is a milestone for the ZDHC Community!”  Janne Koopmans Roadmap to Zero Delivery Director ZDHC