“With a number of industry-led initiatives like the Roadmap to Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC), apparel and footwear brands and retailers need solutions to monitor and improve environmental performance across their entire supply chain,” explained Dr Dirk von Czarnowski, Vice President Global Chemical at Intertek.

“Chemical Smart Screening offers customers the opportunity to perform chemical analysis at the initial stages of production, while supplementing Intertek’s other chemical management solutions.”

Extra layer of protection

Chemical Smart Screening is a proactive approach to identify and prevent the use of harmful chemicals at the beginning of the textile, apparel and footwear manufacturing process, the manufacturer reports.

This preventative measure aims to benefit retailers and manufacturers by decreasing production costs, turnaround time and the need for re-handling. According to the company, only a single sample is needed to screen raw materials for around 400 common harmful substances carefully selected from major chemical regulations. These include Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), and US state chemical regulations like California’s Proposition 65 and CPSIA, as well as chemicals that are often included on companies’ own restricted substances lists (RSL).

“At Intertek we are constantly innovating to meet the evolving needs of our apparel and footwear customers,” said Calvin Yam, Senior Vice President Global Softlines at Intertek. “Chemical Smart Screening was developed to provide a solution, in the form of an extra layer of protection, to the challenges our customers face as they balance the need for timely production with chemical management strategies.”

Intertek

Intertek is a leading quality solutions provider. The company provides a wide range of services, from auditing and inspection, to testing, training, advisory, quality assurance and certification.

With a network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices and over 38,000 people in more than 100 countries, Intertek supports companies’ success in the marketplace, by helping customers to meet end users’ expectations for safety, sustainability, performance, integrity and desirability.

www.intertek.com