ZDHC has prepared a Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL). This is a list of chemical substances banned from intentional use in facilities that process textile materials and trim parts in apparel and footwear.

The focus at ZDHC is to ease regulatory confusion of chemical management standards and bring brands, chemical companies, mills and manufacturers to align on common standards and tools. The issue of hazardous chemicals isn’t new in consumer products; the Romans knew lead was harmful over 2000 years ago.

Scheele’s Green, a copper-arsenic-based pigment, was one of the first colorfast greens used for textiles in the early 1860s. However, it didn't take long for the toxic effects of this pigment to become known. Today both lead and arsenic are listed chemicals.

While the creation of the ZDHC MRSL was hailed as an industry milestone, one of the challenges suppliers still face in working to conform to this standard is knowing where to go, and who to trust, when it comes to safer chemistry claims.

The ZDHC chemical gateway is designed to address this gap. It provides a positive list of safer chemical formulations. Conformance is determined by third-party product accreditation standards and options available in the market. The chemical gateway will be available to the public in early 2017.