The apparel industry has certainly been the darling of the 21st century with clothing production more than doubling due to the increase in consumer spending and the reduction in operational costs. Additionally, the entry of “fast fashion” has revolutionised the apparel business model with compressed production cycles churning out the latest fashion trends to shoppers as often as weekly. Sadly, supply chain production techniques have not kept pace with these growing trends as sweeping claims continue to plague the industry around poor social and sustainable practices.
For over a decade CleanChain has been working closely with apparel brands and suppliers across the globe to transform sustainability practices across the textile industry by facilitating the adoption and usage of sustainable chemistry solutions. With an estimated 50% of factories’ chemical inventories currently unaccounted for, CleanChain’s Chemical Score program plays a key role in narrowing this gap.
"The role that chemical scores (Screened Chemistry) play in chemical management for both brands and suppliers cannot be overemphasized. Our partnership with Scivera and ToxServices has been integral in bringing further transparency to the apparel industry whereby we are now able to provide both brands and suppliers with the information they need to select safer formulations.” Daniel Murray (CleanChain, Managing Director).
The CleanChain Chemical Score, a new feature designed in collaboration with global brands and leading third-party safer chemistry solution providers Scivera and ToxServices, is fully transparent and aims to assess and rate chemicals and chemical substances to enable businesses to make more environmentally friendly choices. The rating identifies best in class chemicals or better alternatives to chemicals currently used in the supply chain.
The chemical scores are assigned by leading independent third-party providers, Scivera and ToxServices, providing a standardised and transparent scoring methodology with full material disclosure of assessed formulations, thereby promoting the usage of safer alternatives.
The benefits to brands include the ability to now rank factories according to the volume of scored chemicals used in their inventory. Additionally, factories can more objectively and transparently track and improve their sustainable chemistry goals by selecting chemical products that are scored, selecting safer alternative products, or working with formulators to score additional chemical products and help improve the industry’s visibility and awareness in general.
"The Chemical Score feature in CleanChain illustrates the progress the apparel industry has made toward Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals.” Says Joe Rinkevich, Scivera’s Founder & President.
"By reporting chemical products that have been scored and certified according to the Screened Chemistry Program, CleanChain makes it easier for users of chemicals to move beyond a basic RSL-compliance mindset, toward truly safer and sustainable chemistry. Over the last 3 years, because of its simplicity, cost-advantages, and forecasting capabilities, SciveraLENS has delivered over 80 percent of the Screened Chemistry scores and certificates now included in CleanChain. We are excited to continue to scale this important work with CleanChain and the global apparel and footwear industry.” Joseph Rinkevich (Scivera, Founder & President)
With the global demand for clothing set to continue its current trajectory for the foreseeable future, organisations that choose not to address the social and environmental implications of their supply chain do so at their own risk. The ‘green revolution’ has led to an uprise in consumers favouring environmentally friendly, sustainable, and ethical brands with Accenture recently reporting a 60% increase in greener purchasing habits. In the long term, sustainable production practices have proven to contribute towards the futureproofing of organisations and help mitigate any impending reputational risks associated with non-compliance.
Book a demo: https://www.cleanchain.com/book-demo/
CleanChain is an award-winning environmental software solution providing a secure, central solution for suppliers to more effectively run their businesses and be rewarded for doing so. It also gives brands the means to engage with their supply chain, and gain visibility and insight into their environmental and social practices throughout their supply chain. CleanChain is part of ADEC Innovations, an organisation that advances sustainable practices globally, helping businesses grow and operate by seamlessly delivering fully integrated, cost-effective consulting, data management, and software solutions. ADEC Innovations helps clients save time, reduce costs, optimise resource use, and drive operational efficiencies in a world where sustainability matters.
About Scivera
Scivera launched in 2008 with a vision to enable safer and more sustainable chemistry and material health decisions across all consumer products. SciveraLENS is our flagship software-as-a-service offering that global brands, their manufacturers, and chemical suppliers use to achieve safer chemistry and material health success, while reducing cost and protecting confidential ingredient information. SciveraLENS includes a growing knowledge base of more than 4,000 verified chemical hazard assessments (CHAs), each verified by Scivera’s board-certified toxicologists. SciveraLENS is the largest CHA knowledge base in existence, providing subscribers the ability to forecast chemical scores for multiple sustainability certification programs and deliver safer chemistry results for their customers and the world. Scivera has witnessed the progress that companies can make when they have the information needed to define and choose safer chemistries.
Media Contact
For CleanChain, Deana Jardim - deana.jardim@adec-innovations.com
For Scivera, Betsy Murry – bmurry@scivera.com
