We want to inspire textile industry producers and purchasing companies to use safer chemicals throughout the global supply chain. This will result in processes and products containing significantly fewer hazardous chemicals and create added value for companies and their customers.

Chemicals are used in every step of the textile manufacturing process, and some are hazardous. Hazardous chemicals are a threat to health and the environment, and they could also pose a threat to your brand and reputation. Worldwide chemical legislation is becoming stricter. More and more hazardous chemicals are being identified and subject to regulation. This guide can help you stay clear of such substances.

The guide is free, easy to use and will save you lots of time. If your finger gets tired from scrolling, use the side menu to navigate the different steps.

↓ STEP 1: Find chemicals in supply chain

This is the first step towards a product free of hazardous chemicals and it requires you to do research into the history of your product. What chemicals have been used in the production processes and which ones are present in the finished product when sold to your customers?

Common toxic chemicals in textiles

You don’t have to be a chemical expert, but it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with some of the most common chemical groups used in textiles.

Some hazardous chemicals are used more frequently than others in the textile manufacturing process. Here are the most commonly used hazardous chemicals, where and why they are used, and what problems they may cause.

The textile production process

Chemicals are present in all parts of textile processing. This part will walk you through the production steps – from fibre to finished garment – and give you an idea of the kind of chemicals that are used.

Step 1: Fibre production

All textiles are made up of fibres arranged in different ways to create the desired strength, durability, appearance, and texture. The fibres can be of countless origins but can be grouped into four main categories. Natural fibres, except silk, have a relatively short fibre length, measured in centimetres. Silk and man-made fibres, on the other hand, have very long fibre lengths (filaments) ranging from hundreds of metres to kilometres long.

Plant fibres consist of cellulosic material, generally derived from cotton, linen, hemp or bamboo, but more or less any plant with extractable cellulose can be used. Cotton is by far the most commonly used plant fibre, and the cultivation of cotton is enormously resource-intensive, with high inputs of water, pesticides, insecticides and fertilisers, leaving a large toxic footprint where it is grown, if not cultivated organically or under specific sustainable conditions.

🧪 Pesticides, insecticides, fertilisers

Animal fibres consist of proteins. Wool and silk are the most commonly used fibres from this group, but wool can come from several different animals. To make animals grow faster and produce higher wool yields, pesticides and insecticides are used to prevent disease. Dipping is a common practice to control parasites in sheep farming, making use of both organic phosphates and synthetic pyrethroids. After the wool fibres have been sheared, they are treated with chemicals during the scouring and washing processes.

🧪 Pesticides, insecticides, scouring chemicals

Man-made fibres such as viscose (rayon) or lyocell are based on cellulosic raw material, normally from wood pulp. They are heavily treated with chemicals before the new fibre is spun. The whole process of producing fibres from wood pulp is very resource-intensive, involving the use of several hazardous substances.

🧪 Acids, bases, process chemicals

Synthetic fibres are made from monomers sourced from fossil oil feedstocks, which are subsequently polymerised into different fibres. Given all the possible monomers that can be made from a synthetic feedstock, the possible combinations are endless. However the most common synthetic fibre is polyester, followed by polyamide, polyacrylic and aramide. Depending on the monomer used to produce the fibre, an endless number of chemicals may be used in the process. For some of the synthetic fibres such as polyester, dyeing can be accomplished already when the fibre is manufactured.

🧪 Petroleum-based feedstock, dyes, pigments, catalysts, stabilisers

Step 2: Yarn production

When the fibre has been harvested or produced the next step is to spin the fibres into a yarn. It is easy to believe that this step, which is a mechanical one, uses no chemicals. But in order to increase the strength of the fibre, increase fibre cohesion and reduce friction during the spinning process, spinning oils are added.

🧪 Spinning oils

Step 3: Fabric production

The core of textile manufacture is fabric production. Fabrics can be created in many different ways, the most common being weaving, knitting, or the production of non-woven fabrics. Strengthening the yarn and reducing friction are important to prevent the yarn from breaking during these processes. Therefore, sizing chemicals and lubricants are added.

🧪 Sizing chemicals (weaving), lubricants (knitting), solvents, adhesives, binders (non-woven)

Step 4: Pre-treatment

Pre-treatment processes can be carried out with fibres, yarns, or fabrics. They enable subsequent processing of the material, which needs to be prepared to accept dyes and functional chemicals. This is done in a multi-step process. Exactly which steps the fabric goes through depends on the type or blend of fibre and how it will be treated afterwards. In some cases, pre-treated fabrics are manufactured for later garment dyeing.

The most common steps involving chemicals for a fabric are:

• Washing, general cleaning of the fabric following previous steps and treatments (detergents, solvents)
• De-sizing removes the sizing chemicals from the warp yarns in the woven fabric (enzymes)
• Scouring removes fatty waxes and greases from natural fibres, cotton seed and husk (detergents, bases, solvents)
• Bleaching makes the fibres whiter and facilitates the dyeing process. It also makes the fibres more absorbent (bleaches)
• Mercerising makes cellulosic fibres swell and become stronger, more lustrous, and more able to accept dye. By doing so, one can reduce the amount of dye needed (bases)
• Carbonising removes vegetable residues such as seed pods from the wool (acids)

Step 5: Dyeing and printing

During dyeing and printing, both hazardous chemicals and dyestuffs are used. Dyes used for dyeing can also be used for printing, but must undergo the same fixation and washing steps after the dyeing process. The most common way to print fabric full width is to use pigment prints, where the pigments stick to a surface using polymeric resin or a binder. No washing processes are needed. For garment printing, plastisol printing is very common. The PVC-based paste often contains hazardous chemicals, such as phthalates, but there are also alternatives based on acrylate or polyurethane.

Dyeing can take place in several steps when processing the textile. It can be done when spinning the synthetic or man-made fibres, as loose natural or regenerated fibres and in the form of yarns or fabrics. Garment dyeing is also common.

For fibre blends, two types of dyed fibres can be spun together, e.g. viscose and wool.

Full-width printing is carried out on pre-treated fabrics, but it is also possible to put a print on a garment or manufactured textile product by screen or transfer printing. Digital printing is another method.

There are other printing techniques, such as discharge and resist printing, using dyes and chemicals. This includes washing to get rid of surplus dyes and residues.

• Dyeing (dyes, pigments)
• Printing (pigments, dyes, binders and polymeric resin (acrylates, PVC, PUR), plasticisers)
• Washing (detergents)

Step 6: Finishing treatments

This step of the process is all about adding special technical properties or aesthetic appeal to the finished fabric. Depending on the properties desired, such as flame retardance, enhanced water resistance, antibacterial treatment, protective coatings, or specific fashion treatments, a diverse range of chemicals is used. Some examples are given below.

• Handle modification (softeners: polyetylen, quartenary ammonium compounds, silicones, polyurethanes / stiffeners: starches resins, polyvinylacetat, polyvinylalcohol)
• Crease resistance — anti-wrinkling, easy care (different types of resins, often formaldehyde-based)
• Antistatic treatment (cationic softeners, polyglycols)
• Anti-pilling (resins)
• Antibacterial/anti-odor treatment (biocides as silver, triclosane)
• Water repellence (water repellents based on waxes, silicones, fluorocarbons)
• Oil/soil repellence (oil/soil repellents based on fluorocarbons)
• Flame retardance (flame retardants: halogenated, phosphorus-based)
• (Protective) coatings (acrylates, polyurethanes, silcones, PVC with plasticisers)
• Laminated films and membranes (in materials: polyurethane, polytetrafluoretylen, modified polyester / in adhesives: polyurethane-based and thermoplastic polymers)
• Garment treatments for fashion (potassium permanganate, sodium hypochlorite, calcium hypochlorite, sodium hydro sulphite, potassium dichromate, formaldehyde resins, cationic softeners, cationic silicone softeners)

Step 7: Manufacturing, transport, sales and retail

When the fabric has the desired colour and properties, it is made into finished products such as sweaters, jeans, shoes or other special items like carpets, furniture or car seats. This step includes processes such as cutting, sewing and the addition of buttons and zippers, for example. In some cases, dyeing and printing of the finished garments, with the fabric only pre-treated, occurs at this step. In garment dyeing, there are a lot of dyestuffs and chemicals used (shown in step 5). Sometimes dyestuff with quite bad wash permanence is chosen to give the clothing in fashion a worn-out look. For garment printing, Plastisol prints (PVC) are very common, but other types are available, for example, based on acrylate or polyurethane.

• Transport preparation, which includes protection from mould during transportation and storage, mostly using biocides (dimethyl fumarate, ethylene oxide, methylbromide, 1,2 dichloroethane, phospine, dichloromethane, sulfuryl fluoride).

Auxiliary chemicals

A range of chemicals is normally used in most steps of the production process to assist the tasks of other chemicals. Such general auxiliaries include:

• Acids
• Bases
• Salts
• Detergents
• Surfactants
• Sequestrants
• Stabilisers
• Solvents
• Enzymes

Compiling information and finding hazardous chemicals

A lot of the information you need to know about the chemical content or your products might be closer than you think.

Ask around internally, and see what kind of support you can get from your trade association. You probably don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Use the work of others.

Start by making sure you know what information you already have within your organisation. Identify the materials used in your products (e.g. cotton, wool, polyester) and the desired functions (e.g. water repellence, fire resistance, printing). Identify which types of chemicals are used to obtain the aesthetic expression and the functions needed (e.g. colour, crease resistance, softness, water repellency, flame retardancy).

Relevant information can be found in specifications, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), contracts or orders, or may be known by those responsible for the preparation of such documents.

Next step is to contact your trade association. They may be able to provide information about the latest chemical news, advice on where to find additional information and which substances to avoid or restrict in your specific products.

Further below you can find useful links to additional sources of information.

Contact your suppliers

Nobody knows the production process better than your suppliers. To obtain more specific knowledge about your products, you need to ask them. Getting the correct type of information depends on several factors:

• Where in the supply chain your company is located.
• Your relationship with your supplier: Is it long-term or short-term?
• The size of orders and your business relationship.
• The requirements set in the purchasing agreement.
• Finding the right contact person with knowledge and the ability to give you the right information.

What should you ask for?

Ask if the supplier follows any specific chemical requirement standard (global, national or company-specific) and ask how they verify this. Verification may include reports and certificates from chemical tests. You can also request Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) or certificates of quality.

Your enquiry should be addressed to the person responsible for production, e.g. the technical manager, product manager or production manager.

To make full use of our evaluation tool, your suppliers need to provide:

• A detailed description of the composition and materials used in the product.
• Name or CAS number of chemicals used during the production process.

It is likely that the first information you get will either not be correct or lack vital details. Be persistent – keep asking and explaining what you want. Meeting the supplier and discussing at the production plant might help.

You should be aware that there are many false test reports and other false documents in circulation, so always be critical when you inspect these documents. Consider contacting the test lab or certification company directly to verify correctness.

If you need to verify certificates regarding Oeko-Tex or GOTS you can find the links to their databases here:

• Oeko-Tex validity check
• GOTS Production units

Once you are done researching the chemicals used in your supply chain and know their names and/or CAS numbers, it’s time to evaluate how problematic they are.

↓ STEP 2: Evaluate chemicals in your supply chain

With the information you have acquired about the chemicals used in your processes and products it’s time to evaluate them.

In this step you will be introduced to our searchable database of textile chemicals. Just enter the chemical name, hit search and it will tell you if the substance is hazardous or not.

Why evaluate chemicals in your supply chain?

Considerable amounts of chemicals are used in the textile production chain. Some of these are hazardous and pose a threat to both health and the environment.

The use of such chemicals might also damage your business and be a financial threat due to litigations, product recalls and damaged brand reputation, for example.

Find the hot spots in your product portfolio

There are likely to be many hazardous chemicals in your product portfolio, and you can’t act on them all at once.

You will need to prioritise your problematic chemicals. Deal with the worst offenders first.

Chances are high that you will find out that you have several chemicals that are problematic. It may not be possible, however, to get rid of them at once. Instead, you should aim to phase them out over time.

When considering a phase-out, several things need to be considered. External requirements refer to laws that forbid you from using a certain chemical, while your company’s specific in-house priorities refer to your particular products.

External requirements

Legal:
Chemicals already banned or restricted for your particular purpose need your immediate attention. Substances listed for priority attention (e.g. on the EU Candidate List) give you more time, but you should initiate the search for alternatives as soon as possible.

Supply chain:
Your customer or others in the supply chain might ask you to avoid a certain chemical or tell you that a specific chemical will be unavailable in the future. In those cases, you need to agree with the other party on the timeline for phasing out.

“Hot” chemicals and consumer preferences:
Some chemicals gain extra attention in the media and consumers become aware and ask for alternative products that are free from them. It is wise to be prepared by monitoring which chemicals are being discussed and highlighted by campaigning NGOs, otherwise it may hurt your brand.

In-house priorities

For those chemicals where there is no external pressure, you need to set your own priorities according to company policy. The following aspects may be of relevance:

• Chemicals used in products intended for children.
• Other types of products that are especially “close” to the consumer: items related to food and feeding, bed linen, underwear etc.
• The type of hazard in relation to the product. Sensitisers, for example, are of very high concern in contact with the skin, while substances with environmental hazards are particularly problematic when they have low wash fastness on the textile.
• Chemicals that are extensively used in high volumes.
• “Flagship products” of particular importance to the company and company reputation.

↓ STEP 3: Act on hazardous chemicals in your supply chain

By now, you should know what kind of chemicals are present in your supply chain and whether they are restricted or listed as problematic.

Do you want to do a bare minimum and only fulfil your legal obligations? Or would you like to replace the hazardous chemicals and implement a control and audit scheme?

Set up a Restricted Substances List (m)RSL

The (m)RSL is the list of the chemicals you have decided to prioritise for phasing out from your production or products.

You can start your own (m)RSL from scratch, but even better is to be inspired by others. Once your (m)RSL is established it should be incorporated in purchasing agreements and communicated to the supply chain.

Setting up an RSL/mRSL

Why you should avoid creating your own (m)RSL and instead copy someone else’s

The RSL/mRSL is the list of the chemicals you have highlighted as unwanted in your production or products. You can start building it from scratch, or even better – be inspired by, or adopt lists from others.

Today, every company or brand that are serious about chemicals management has their own Restricted Substances List. That means there are a lot of lists out there that suppliers need to be aware of – literally thousands and thousands. But the fact that there are too many RSLs in textile sector is causing problems, and ironically the sheer number of lists often works against their purpose to get rid of hazardous chemicals.

Let’s say your RSL has some special requirement for the textile mill you are working with, a certain chemical you don’t want them to use. In order to fulfill your requirement the mill needs to run the machinery empty for a while to make sure the specific chemical is gone before they proceed to produce your batch of textiles. Possibly the mill will also have to replace your unwanted chemical with another in order to achieve the same function. In that case the machines would need to run empty once again, after your batch is done, otherwise the next batch of textiles will be contaminated with it. Obviously, this is going to be very costly for your company. Especially if you represent a minor portion of that textile mills total business.

Now imagine every other company having these special requirements. It’s not realistic to expect that they will be met.

That’s why we advice you to adopt an RSL from a larger company or join a common standard, which means you are then part of a company coalition asking for the same input chemistry. By doing so you will not only increase your own chances that your requirements are met, but you are also helping out in pushing the industry away from using too many chemical standards.

There are currently a number of joint textile initiatives with the purpose of streamlining chemical requirements, such as the ZDHC programme or AFIRM. Full memberships in such groups can be costly, especially for SMEs, but since their RSLs are public you can always adopt them even without being a member. There are number of joint initiative RSLs in our database, including the ZDHC programme and AFIRM, to name a few – just filter for the one you are interested in.

At ChemSec we strongly believe that when more and more companies are asking for the same input chemistry – that is when we will se real change in terms of reduced use of hazardous chemicals.

RSL or mRSL?

Lately many large textile brands have shifted their focus from RSL to something called mRSL. So what is the difference between the two?

The RSL aims to restrict the chemicals that will end up in the finished garment, in other words the chemicals that the end costumers are exposed to. The problem with the RSL is that the garment can still be produced using a lot of hazardous chemicals, but they are washed out before they reach the consumer. So even if these textiles might be safe from a end consumer perspective, it does little for the health of workers and the environment in producing countries.

The mRSL, where the “m” stands for “manufacturing”, aims to remedy that since it targets all chemicals used in the whole supply chain. In other words, if a chemical is placed on an mRSL it implies that it is not allowed to use during any of the production steps.

Get inspiration

When creating an RSL, it’s common to study the approach taken by other companies and what substances they have included. Some countries also have business associations, trade groups and non-governmental organisations that recommend or produce information and lists of substances to avoid and/or control.

Get inspiration from some of the RSLs of leading textile companies:

• H&M Chemical Restrictions – RSL and mRSL
• Puma Chemical Restrictions – RSL and mRSL
• VF (including Lee, Wrangler and Timberland) Restricted Substance List

Trade associations and joint initiatives:

• AFIRM Restricted Substances List
• ZDHC mRSL
• AAFA Restricted Substances List

Let’s start substituting

Substituting hazardous chemicals with safer alternatives is a very effective way to improve the toxic footprint of your products.

It will not only make the final product safer, but will also help remove hazardous chemicals from the manufacturing process as a whole, creating better working conditions and a healthier environment on-site.

Depending on the situation, substitution can be easy or sometimes more difficult. But the added value once it has been done is always the same – your product is safer.

Substituting hazardous chemicals with safer alternatives is a very effective way to improve the toxic footprint of your products. It will not only make the final product safer, but also create better working conditions.

In short, the substitution process starts with identifying a chemical that needs to be removed, and understanding what function it has in the production process or properties it gives the product. In best case it may not be needed at all, or it could easily be swapped with only a slight modification of the process. It is also important to think of the aesthetic appearance and properties of the product. Is it possible to accept a slightly different nuance or a good enough property by using a less hazardous dyestuff or chemical as a substitute? Good relations with your supplier will make it easier to discuss these issues and obtain a good result. Often you need to get in touch with responsible persons in the production, who have the knowledge and further contacts to give you the information you are asking for. If you are thinking about substitution, you need to take extra care not to introduce other hazardous chemicals.

How substitution works – step by step

• Define the function, use and need of the substance you want to replace
• Define criteria for the alternative
• Search for available alternative solutions
• Evaluate and compare alternatives
• Test on a pilot scale
• Implement substitution

Define the function, use and need of the substance you want to replace

It is very useful to think about substitution using these different levels – function, use and need. Let’s look at the use of phthalates in PVC printing on textiles as an example

The function of the phthalate is to make the PVC plastic soft. If you only consider the function you might find an alternative non-phthalate plasticiser.

You can also look at the use, which is PVC for textile printing. Bearing this in mind you might consider changing to another type of printing paste that does not require plasticisers: polyurethane or silicone for example.

The ultimate need is to produce textiles that are attractive. Perhaps this can also be achieved by other means, such as embroidery.

Depending on the question you ask, you might end up with several possible alternatives. Our recommendation is to take a broad perspective and look at all the possibilities so that you have as many solutions as possible at this stage.

Define criteria for the alternative

Before moving on to assessing and comparing alternatives it is important to think through what you want from an alternative. What would you like to achieve in terms of hazard profile and functionality: Is there a cost limit? How urgent is the substitution? Are there already legal requirements in place or do you have time to wait for an alternative that is currently at the research stage?

Search for available alternative solutions

You can find alternative solutions through the following channels:

• In-house knowledge
• Trade associations
• Networks of stakeholders (e.g. the ZDHC group)
• Reports from authorities (e.g. ECHA, US EPA, KEMI and others)
• Web-based resources (e.g. SUBSPORT, OECD and others)
• Your suppliers
• Chemical producers and formulators

Available online resources:

Marketplace provides a unique marketing opportunity for producers of safer alternatives, and it is a one-stop shop for downstream user companies looking to substitute hazardous chemicals in their products.

Search the Marketplace database and filter for chemical functions, relevant industry or a specific hazardous chemical that you are looking for safer alternatives to.

OECD Substitution and alternatives toolbox lists available resources for substitution and assessment of alternatives, some containing examples or case stories.

Evaluate and compare alternatives

Assessing alternatives is about making sure you choose the best of the available alternatives, given the criteria you have set. The following aspects can be considered when assessing alternatives:

• Hazard assessment
• Functionality of alternatives
• Availability of alternatives
• Costs
• Changes to processes
• Life-cycle considerations: energy, waste/discharge, carbon dioxide emissions, etc.

If the aim of substitution is to reduce hazardous chemicals, the hazard assessment is where you should start. Once you are sure you have one or more alternatives that are less hazardous than the substance you are substituting, you can look at all the other aspects.

Assessment of alternatives is widely discussed, and new and better methodologies are under development. Some regulations require that alternatives are assessed before hazardous chemicals can be routinely used, i.e. the European chemicals regulation REACH.

There are a number of available methods; some are simple and require only information from Material Safety Datasheets, while others require information from scientific publications or even re-testing of chemicals.

The OECD has worked with stakeholders to create a “toolbox” (also mentioned above) that is designed to help you choose a method of alternatives assessment that suits your competence and requirements.

The most comprehensive method for assessing alternatives is called the “GreenScreen for safer chemicals”. This was developed by the organisation Clean Production Action and provides a rigorous comparative hazard assessment based on 18 different hazardous endpoints. Chemicals are benchmarked on a scale of 1 to 4, which makes the comparison visible and easy. The GreenScreen is also a part of some US regulatory initiatives and standards for the building and electronics sector.

One common problem when assessing alternatives is the lack of data, especially for newer chemicals. For chemicals where little or no data is available, one can estimate hazardous properties based on chemical structure. The most popular methodology for this is called q-SAR, but this requires chemicals expertise and training. For use with the SIN List (one of the lists in our database of hazardous chemicals), ChemSec has developed a tool called SINimilarity. This gives you the opportunity to type in a chemical’s CAS number and find out if this chemical is structurally similar to any of the substances on the SIN List. If so, it is not unlikely that the chemical has similar problematic properties.

Test on a pilot scale

Even after thorough investigation of the feasibility of an alternative, there may be things that you could not foresee. It is therefore always wise to do a practical pilot test before implementing full-scale substitution.

Implement substitution

Having come this far you can be very pleased. You could take this opportunity to pass on news of the substitution to your supply chain and perhaps even to consumers. However be aware that you may not yet have found the final and ultimate solution. Substitution is an ongoing process, since new scientific findings and regulations may turn up. Having done a proper alternative assessment though, you are prepared in the best possible way for this.

Alternative chemicals you can use

Successful substitution of chemicals depends a lot on the process, materials used and numerous other individual conditions. What works for your business might not do the trick for someone else. Nevertheless, some chemicals have a good track record being replaced with certain substances and this might be a good place for you to start your substitution work.

Find more safer alternatives at ChemSec’s Marketplace

Control and audit

Ok, now you know what chemicals you want to avoid and you have informed all of your suppliers. Now you need to make sure they actually follow your requirements. Through different control measures you can make sure that your products remain hazard free.

On-site visits, chemical tests and quality certificates are means of making sure your supply chain follows your standards.

Require certificates of compliance

The easiest way to get started is to ask your supplier to provide information on the chemicals used in the production process. Ask for the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) or certificates of quality for the chemicals used. Such information must always be available to the supplier since it is mandatory to provide an MSDS with a shipment of chemicals.

If your supplier is certified by a specific certification body, you should ask for their licence number or certificate number and verify its authenticity with the issuing body. This, you can often do online.

Understand the information you get – MSDS and other documents

Sometimes the information received from suppliers, such as MSDS, test reports and letters of conformity can be difficult to understand due to their technical nature.

In short, an MSDS provides the information needed to assess the risks and hazards associated with a specific chemical, chemical product or formulation. It states the name of the product, the composition of the ingredients (if more than one), any specific hazards connected with the product and what to do in case of a spillage, accident, fire or other emergencies.

• How to create and interpret an MSDS
• Resource library to a vast number of MSDS 

Also test reports from your own tests or third-party laboratories can be tricky to understand. Here are a couple of things you should be wary of:

• Test results – the measured content of a specific substance. Check the units used; common units are g/kg, mg/g, mg/kg, mg/l, ppm, %, ‰, %W/W, %V/V.
• Detection limit – make sure it is not higher than your acceptable limit for the relevant goods. Check the units used.
• Reproducibility – all tests that are performed involve some uncertainty over the results. This may be +/- 1% or it may be +/-50%. This means that if two different labs do the same test on the same product they should receive the same results within the margin of error of 1% (or 50%). Both tests could actually be correct even if seemingly quite different. A problem could arise if the first test says a product is OK but a second test says the opposite. Extra care should be taken if the test results are close to the acceptable limit for approval, especially if the test method has a wide reproducibility.
• Repeatability – very similar to reproducibility. Repeatability is only verified for the same laboratory, staff and equipment. The uncertainty for repeatability is smaller than for reproducibility.
• Test method – if you have specified that a certain test method should be used, make sure the lab has used that specific method. If not, the difference between them must be explained so you can ascertain if the results are reliable for your needs.

Test to verify

Based on your supplier agreement, which specifies how your fabrics should be produced and which chemicals should be excluded; you may want to carry out tests to verify actual compliance. Asking for third-party testing by an accredited laboratory before shipment is the easiest way.

However, it is important to be aware that there are many false test reports and other false documents in circulation, and you should be critical when checking these documents. There is always the possibility of contacting the test lab or the certification company directly to verify authenticity.

So if a certain article or range of articles is very important to your company, you should consider performing your own testing when your products are delivered. There are numerous cases where, despite on-site testing, simple mistakes in the production phase, as well as instances of fraud, have had a severe impact on companies, damaging their reputations and having sizeable financial effects.

When selecting substances and products for testing it is always good to start with the lowest-hanging fruit – tests that identify important substances, and that are cheap and simple to perform. Good examples of low-hanging fruit are testing for the presence of specific chemical elements (atoms) such as heavy metals or chlorine, which indicates the use of PVC. Such tests can easily be done using non-destructive techniques such as XRF. You simply hold the product you want to test in front of an XRF “gun” for a few minutes and get an instant answer. For more advanced tests on specific substances or the exact composition, you might need to contact external laboratories.

External laboratories

• Intertek
• SGS
• Bureau Veritas 
• WRAP – Worldwide Responsible Production

On-site verification of compliance

The most advanced way of assuring compliance is through auditing of the production site, either by inspections carried out by your own staff or by third parties. It is not possible to go into details of how auditing should be performed since it depends on the process, the supplier and the purchase agreement.