By defining “sustainable attributes” for bluesign^® APPROVED chemicals registered in the bluesign^® FINDER, Bluesign is furthering its ability to provide more sustainable solutions by providing specified search functions to help chemical suppliers and the textile industry make better informed decisions.  The bluesign^® FINDER is a web-based, advanced search engine for manufacturers. It contains a positive list of preferred chemical products. Today more than 20,000 bluesign^® APPROVED chemical products are registered in the bluesign^® FINDER.

Bluesign^® APPROVED chemical products already meet the stringent bluesign^® CRITERIA for chemical assessment. That means that the approved chemicals are produced following best occupational health and safety (OH&S) practices with less environmental impact and excellent Product Stewardship following the principles of Input Stream Management and sustainable chemistry. Textiles processed with bluesign^® APPROVED chemicals meet the highest level of consumer safety.

Sustainable chemistry is a holistic concept that strives to remediate or minimize negative impacts and enhance positive impacts on the environment, economy and society (including the protection of human rights), throughout the life-cycle of a chemical product. Sustainable chemicals should be designed for the circular economy, should accelerate the use of sustainable feedstocks, increase resource efficiency in downstream applications and contribute to the longevity of consumer products, while avoiding inherent properties that are harmful to human health and the environment.

Now, in addition to the existing functions within the bluesign^® FINDER, bluesign^® SYSTEM PARTNER chemical suppliers can claim selected sustainability attributes for their bluesign^® APPROVED chemical products that will be displayed within the bluesign^® FINDER. Sustainability claims will be verified by Bluesign during on-site assessments and through chemical assessments. Requirements and data provisions will be laid out in the criteria: bluesign^® CRITERIA for chemical assessment ANNEX: Sustainability attributes for bluesign^® APPROVED chemical products. 

The bluesign^® FINDER will be amended with search functions starting this year with the below first priority attributes:

1.Renewable feedstock (biomass* or bio-based)

The sustainability attribute ‘Renewable feedstock (biomass or bio-based)’ is intended for use with any chemical product that contains at least 20% biomass content by weight in the form of biomass-derived carbon.  

2.Sustainably sourced renewable feedstock (biomass* or bio-based)

The sustainability attribute ‘sustainably sourced renewable feedstock (biomass or bio-based)’ is intended for use with any chemical product that contains at least 20% biomass content by weight in the form of biomass-derived carbon. The biomass content shall originate from land that is certified sustainable.

3.Recycled content

The sustainability attribute ‘Recycled content’ is intended for use with any chemical product that contains at least 20% recycled content by weight. For the calculation of the recycled content only the dry content of the chemical product shall be regarded, excluding water.

This year bluesign^® SYSTEM PARTNER chemical suppliers can start to register these selected sustainability attributes for their bluesign^® APPROVED chemical products. The bluesign^® FINDER will evolve and a comprehensive online search engine for sustainable textile auxiliaries and dyes will be implemented.

In addition to these selected attributes further sustainability attributes are under discussion with the relevant stakeholder groups and subjected to future provisions. These attributes are also one of the puzzle pieces in the Sustainability Index for chemical products developed by SCTI^TM in cooperation with Bluesign.  

*Biomass and bio-based refers to material(s) of biological origin, excluding material embedded in geological formations or transformed to fossilized material (e.g. fossil fuels), and excluding peat. This includes material (both living and dead) from above and below the ground, e.g. trees, crops, grasses, algae, animals, and waste of a biological origin, e.g. manure.

Source: Bluesign