CTIC is managed by the China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC), an industry federation which represents all textile related industries in China and launched its Chemicals Stewardship 2020 Initiative earlier this year.“With CTIC joining ZDHC as an official contributor, there is increased opportunity for the harmonisation and alignment between ZDHC and CNTAC’s Chemical Stewardship 2020 initiative. Further, this creates momentum for China’s domestic brands and manufacturers to join the hazardous chemicals control movement in China,” added Lin.
ZDHC takes a holistic approach to improving chemical management across the textile and footwear value chain and emphasises that industry collaboration is essential to achieving its goal.All contributors to the ZDHC Programme commit to working collaboratively on the development and implementation of ZDHC standards and tools and to the goal of the elimination of hazardous chemicals within the textile and footwear industry.Last month, ZDHC released its Wastewater Guidelines which set a unified expectation on wastewater quality for the entire textile and footwear industry. It urged all stakeholders within the value chain to adopt them.“Addressing this environmental challenge cannot be achieved alone. To achieve meaningful, long-lasting impact, we need the entire industry, including NGOs, to adopt and support this standard,” said Frank Michel, executive director, ZDHC.The ZDHC Programme began in 2011 with six leading brands, and now consists of 22 signatory brands (including Adidas, Burberry, Inditex and H&M), 18 value chain affiliates and eight associates.
