Chemical management specialist Bluesign has announced its latest revised restrictions for chemical substances to achieve more sustainable manufacturing in the textiles industry. They include the removal of all PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) from the Bluesign Finder tool as part of the organisation’s phase out of the so-called forever chemicals.
Limits for bisphenol S, bisphenol F and bisphenol AF have also now been defined after two years of monitoring their use in textile chemical products. And Bluesign has confirmed that it is now aligned with the ZDHC Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL) 3.1 and AFIRM Restricted Substances List (RSL) 2023. The changes to Bluesign’s BSSL (Bluesign system substances list) and BSBL (Bluesign system black limits) came into effect on 1st July. The latest version of the Bluesign RSL (restricted substances list) is still under preparation and will be published at the end of the month.
BSBL sets limits for chemicals in auxiliaries and dyes; BSSL specifies consumer safety limits for chemicals in products; and the Bluesign RSL contains safety limits and testing methods for legally restricted substances in textile and leather garments and accessories.
“The 2023 revision considers new scientific knowledge on the toxicological and ecological profile of substances, new legal classification of chemical substances, new legal consumer safety limits, revised risk assessments following the Bluesign Criteria for chemical assessment, feedback from experts of our Chemical Expert Group (CEG) as well as new analytical standards,” said a Bluesign statement.
The detailed revisions – as well as documents regarding the relevant changes to substances and limits – can be found on the Bluesign website. They came into effect at the beginning of this month.
