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Global Press Releases

2018-04-13

LANXESS is ZDHC value chain contributor

  • Specialty chemicals company becomes value chain contributor
  • LANXESS products listed in the ZDHC Gateway
  • Level 3 certification via Chem-MAP

On April 1, 2018, specialty chemicals company LANXESS joined the ZDHC Roadmap to Zero Programme, an association of more than 80 companies within the world’s largest initiative for sustainability in the textile and clothing industry. The ZDHC Programme takes a holistic approach to reducing the use of hazardous substances in the global textile, leather and footwear value chain.

The ZDHC Foundation, which was established in 2011, has set itself the goal of improving sustainability and chemicals management. Even at that time, LANXESS’s Leather business unit, represented by the industry organization Tegewa, contributed to the development of the ZDHC Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (ZDHC MRSL). To increase visibility and to be directly involved in decision-making processes, LANXESS has now decided to become a Value Chain Contributor to the ZDHC Programme.

LANXESS products listed in the ZDHC Gateway

The ZDHC Gateway – Chemical Module is the first compatible ZDHC data exchange platform that enables manufacturers of chemical substances and formulations to securely exchange information in accordance with ZDHC standards and tools. Brand manufacturers and textile, footwear and leather suppliers use the module to ensure conformance with ZDHC industry standards to reduce the use of hazardous chemicals.

The principle of replacing hazardous chemicals with less hazardous ones wherever technically possible has always been a guideline for research and development in the LANXESS Leather business unit. As a consequence, all substances identified by ZDHC had already been removed from the LANXESS portfolio when the ZDHC MRSL for leather was published in December 2015. Only very few products in which traces of listed substances were introduced via the raw materials used required subsequent replacement.

Since 2016, LANXESS has thus been one of the first suppliers of chemicals for leather manufacturers to offer a product list compliant with the ZDHC MRSL criteria. As the ZDHC Gateway is now fully functional for this product area, consequently all compliant products should be uploaded into the system. This gives other actors in the supply chain unrestricted access and enables the use of the stored information.

“As the chemical industry proactively supports the initiative and invests a substantial amount of effort and money to create a solid basis for decision-making, we expect brand manufacturers to stand by their commitment and enforce the use of ZDHC MRSL-compliant products in their supply chain,” says Dr. Thomas Brackemeyer, head of the Organic Leather Chemicals business line at LANXESS.

Level 3 certification via Chem-MAP

The Chem-MAP value chain program was developed by the BLC Leather Technology Center in response to the need for verification of chemical inputs and is aimed at the three main stakeholders in a consumer goods value chain: the chemical manufacturing company, the materials manufacturer and the brand company and/or retailer.

The program ensures that chemical products are sold in accordance with the ZDHC MRSL specification and that chemical manufacturers have adequate management including appropriate control systems to ensure that chemical products are manufactured responsibly and to recognized standards. This process involves a solid assessment of LANXESS through an audit and test program and further downstream validation through plant audits and monitoring tests of the chemical products supplied.

The BLC Chem-MAP is the first system approved by the ZDHC that ultimately leads to a Level 3 certification, the highest achievable level. The process will take some time for the approximately 500 products in the LANXESS portfolio. During this time, the progress in the gateway can be observed. “I expect that while the certification is in progress, the number of products on the LANXESS gateway profile page will continuously shift until all of them meet Level 3,” says Dr. Martin Kleban, HSEQ delegate in the Leather business.

Forward-Looking Statements
This company release contains certain forward-looking statements, including assumptions, opinions, expectations and views of the company or cited from third party sources. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause the actual results, financial position, development or performance of LANXESS AG to differ materially from the estimations expressed or implied herein. LANXESS AG does not guarantee that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors nor does it accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the opinions expressed in this presentation or the actual occurrence of the forecast developments. No representation or warranty (expressed or implied) is made as to, and no reliance should be placed on, any information, estimates, targets and opinions, contained herein, and no liability whatsoever is accepted as to any errors, omissions or misstatements contained herein, and accordingly, no representative of LANXESS AG or any of its affiliated companies or any of such person's officers, directors or employees accept any liability whatsoever arising directly or indirectly from the use of this document.

LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 9.7 billion in 2017 and about 19,200 employees in 25 countries. The company is currently represented at 74 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of chemical intermediates, additives, specialty chemicals and plastics. Through ARLANXEO, the joint venture with Saudi Aramco, LANXESS is also a leading supplier of synthetic rubber. LANXESS is listed in the leading sustainability indices Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI World and Europe) and FTSE4Good.

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Michael Fahrig

Michael Fahrig
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