CleanChain, an ADEC Innovation, is unveiling a new feature that will assess and score chemicals used in the textile sector, giving garment brands and suppliers complete transparency and allowing them to choose safer and more sustainable alternatives.

The new CleanChain Chemical Score function attempts to encourage textile supply chains to use safer, more sustainable chemicals.

It was created in partnership with international brands, the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC), and safer chemical solution providers Scivera and ToxServices. The Chemical Score, according to its creators, is completely transparent and tries to evaluate and rank chemicals and chemical compounds in order to help businesses make more ecologically-friendly decisions. The ranking highlights chemicals that are best in class or superior alternatives to chemicals that are already used in the supply chain.

CleanChain has been working with garment manufacturers and suppliers throughout the world for over a decade to help them embrace and use sustainable chemistry solutions, transforming sustainability practices in the textile sector. With an estimated 50% of factory chemical supplies unaccounted for, the company claims that its new approach will help close the gap.

Daniel Murray, CleanChain managing director, said that it's impossible to overstate the importance of chemical scores (screened chemistry) in chemical management for both brands and suppliers. Their cooperation with Scivera and ToxServices has been essential in bringing additional openness to the garment sector, whereby they are now able to supply both brands and suppliers with the information they need to select safer formulas.

Scivera and ToxServices issue chemical scores, resulting in a harmonized and transparent scoring process with complete material disclosure of tested formulations, enabling the use of safer alternatives, according to CleanChain.

The ability to rank manufacturers based on the number of scored chemicals utilized in their inventory is one of the advantages for brands. Furthermore, factories can more objectively and transparently track and improve their sustainable chemistry goals by selecting chemical products that have been scored, selecting safer alternative products, or collaborating with formulators to score additional chemical products and improve the industry's visibility and awareness in general.

Joe Rinkevich, Scivera’s founder and president, said that the Chemical Score feature in CleanChain demonstrates the apparel industry's progress toward Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals. By disclosing chemical goods that have been assessed and certified in accordance with the Screened Chemistry Program, CleanChain makes it easier for chemical users to move beyond basic RSL compliance to truly safer and sustainable chemistry.