As a global supplier of chemical specialities and auxiliaries, the Zschimmer & Schwarz Group takes responsibility for an environment that is worth living in and is therefore aligning its future actions even more closely with the principle of sustainability. Avoiding hazardous chemicals is an important objective in this regard and has now been confirmed by independent experts: almost the entire leather auxiliaries portfolio produced at the company’s main site in Lahnstein, Germany, has received the ZDHC MRSL Level 1 certification. “We are very proud of this acknowledgement,” says Dr Marc Hombeck, Global Director Leather Auxiliaries Division, “and it allows us to offer an important service to our customers: they can be confident that our certified leather auxiliaries do not contain any of the chemicals which are listed as hazardous by the ZDHC.” The ZDHC certification is part of the holistic environmental, sustainability and health strategy of Zschimmer & Schwarz, which focuses on the protection of the environment as well as of the health of both employees and consumers.

Based in Amsterdam, the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Foundation is an association of about 160 international companies and organisations. Its declared goal is to eliminate harmful chemicals from the global value chain of the textile, apparel, shoe and leather industries and to replace them with non-hazardous substances. Furthermore, the ZDHC strives for improved environmental and health protection. With the help of the ZDHC Roadmap to Zero Programme, it identifies more environmentally friendly as well as less hazardous alternatives and supports the whole supply chain in establishing a more sustainable chemical management. For this purpose, the ZDHC initiative uses the ZDHC Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL), which lists hazardous chemicals whose use is strictly prohibited or only permissible within certain defined limits.

The ZDHC certification of the leather auxiliaries portfolio of Zschimmer & Schwarz required successful testing of the products. The audit was conducted by Eurofins | BLC Leather Technology Centre, an independent and approved partner, which confirmed the conformity of the ingredients to ZDHC’s strict guidelines.

The ZDHC certification of its leather auxiliaries is yet another proof that Zschimmer & Schwarz is dedicated to sustainability. As a member of Responsible Care, the company strives for constant improvement in the areas of environment, safety and health, regardless of legal requirements. With its RSPO certification, Zschimmer & Schwarz has committed itself voluntarily to the use of sustainably grown palm oil. As a system partner of bluesign^®, the company also stands for a resource-efficient and environmentally conscious production of textile auxiliaries. Many of its chemical auxiliaries comply with GOTS and meet the OEKO-TEX^®-Standard 100. Further information about the quality management and the certifications at the Lahnstein site are published on the company’s website at https://www.zschimmer-schwarz.com/en/company/responsibility.