Simplifying MRSL and RSL Compliance Through CleanChain, an ADEC Innovation

The textile industry is the world’s second largest industrial polluter (second to oil). According to the World Bank, textile dyeing and treatment are responsible for almost 20% of global industrial water pollution. Cotton production accounts for 2.6% of the world’s water footprint, and a single cotton t-shirt requires a third of a pound of pesticides and other chemicals to produce.    

The Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Programme aims to reverse these trends through a holistic approach across the textile and footwear value chain. The Chemical Module of the ZDHC Gateway, developed and managed by ADEC Innovations, is the world’s first safer chemistry database. It helps chemical formulators, brands and suppliers make better sourcing decisions by understanding a product’s level of compliance with the ZDHC Manufacturing Restricted Substance List (MRSL). The MRSL is a list of chemical substances that are restricted from intentional use in the manufacturing process in facilities that make apparel and footwear. 

However, MRSL compliance is a complex process. Responding to audits, managing chemical inventories, and tracing chemical supply chains from chemical producers and textile and apparel suppliers are time- and data-intensive. Moreover, many companies comply not only with the MRSL but also with the Restricted Substances Lists (RSLs) of various organizations such as the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), the Apparel and Footwear International RSL Management (AFIRM) Group and the REACH Regulation. RSLs are lists of chemical substances that are restricted from being present in a product.  

This is where CleanChain™, ADEC Innovations’ chemical information management solution, can help. It contains all the tools and resources providing the information and insights needed to manage MRSL and RSL compliance processes and eliminate the discharge of hazardous chemicals. As a result, environmental, health and safety risks across supply bases are reduced, and MRSL and RSL compliance are improved and ensured. 

CleanChain gives accurate and complete visibility into the chemical inventories of suppliers. It has one central process and system for managing data capture, analysis and reporting. Suppliers can therefore save time and money by minimizing inventory overstock and avoiding the use of out-of-date chemicals. 

CleanChain can also help businesses maintain positive customer relationships by providing their customers visibility into the chemicals that they use, along with their origins and levels of usage. It enables companies to seamlessly and securely share information with all their customers, ensuring transparency about their chemical use. 

Ensuring MRSL and RSL compliance can be challenging, but CleanChain simplifies the process and helps textile companies accomplish this by providing full visibility into the chemicals that they use throughout their supply chains. Once they find out that the chemicals that they are using or selling are hazardous, then they can immediately look for safer and more sustainable alternatives. Moreover, they can let their customers know the steps that they are taking to become MRSL- and RSL-compliant. With CleanChain, textile companies not only become more sustainable; they also enjoy greater consumer confidence. 

To know more about CleanChain™, you can click here to request a demonstration.  Or you can email Alicia Godlove at alicia.godlove@adec-innovations.com.

ADEC Innovations is an impact investing company that designs, develops and delivers a diverse data management and technology portfolio of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) solutions. Learn more about CleanChain.