ZDHC South Asia Regional Conference 2024

🚀The 5th ZDHC South Asia Regional Conference was held with great success at the Hyatt Regency in Chennai, India on 25th September with the participation of 270 delegates representing the entire fashion value chain. The theme, “Building a Culture of Sustainable Chemical Management (SCM) in the Fashion Industry,” set the stage for impactful discussions.

The event kicked off with addresses from R. Selvam, Executive Director CLE, Tatheer Zaidi, AHPM, Solidaridad and a thought-provoking keynote from Dr. K.J.Sreeram, Director CSIR-CLRI.

Frank Michel detailed ZDHC’s 2030 vision while Prasad Pant highlighted the ZDHC RtZ programme's role in fostering a culture of SCM in the fashion industry. Saket Kulkarni shared the latest updates on ZDHC platforms & programme implementation status in South Asia, while Lydia Lin discussed how the regional team supports stakeholders in adopting the ZDHC programme.

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✨Event highlights:

ZDHC Torchbearer Awards: Recognising outstanding contributions to sustainable practices from the SA signatories, ZDHC Torchbearer Award was presented to Hayleys Fabric PLC (Supplier category) and Jay Chemicals (Formulator category) for consistently implementing ZDHC Programme.

ZDHC Solutions Roadshow Ambassador Awards: For the first time, we honoured those setting examples in industry by conducting solutions roadshows. L&S received Gold award, while Testex, SGS Indonesia, PantaRei received Silver, and CleanChain received Bronze for 2024.

💡Key Insights:  Pushkar Shejwalkar, Tejas Edvankar, Smita Bait and Jaswant Singh (ZDHC Competence Centres) shared latest updates in ZDHC guidelines.

👥Engaging Panel Discussions: The conference featured 3 dynamic panel discussions focusing on the role of stakeholders in SCM.

Key takeaway: "Collaboration is crucial for creating a greater impact in the fashion industry, and making ZDHC programme fit for the purpose"

🌍Innovations and Best Practices: Karthikeyan and Madhuri Prasanna showcased innovative chemistry solutions for resource efficiency & environmental impact reduction. Dunstan Weragala (Hayleys Fabrics) & Ishara Perera (Teejay) highlighted how ZDHC programme implementation drives business sustainability. Dr Thanikaivelan shared sustainable leather production practices & Dr Chaithanya Sudha & Dr Abirami (ICCW) presented best practices in water management.

The conference fostered rich discussions on building and maintaining a culture of SCM in fashion, emphasising collaboration as a path towards a sustainable future. Let’s continue to drive positive change together!

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🌟A heartfelt gratitude to our sponsors for their invaluable support:

Platinum Level: Stahl Gold Level: Hayleys Fabric PLC Hohenstein - India, Sri Lanka & Middle East, Silver Level: Proklean Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Bronze Level: Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services TFL Group

Supporter Level: ADEC Innovations Event Partner: Colour Publications