2014

RESEARCH
LISTJOINTROADMAPDELIVERABLE

ZERO DISCHARGEOF HAZARDOUS
CHEMICALS PROGRAMMEI N A S S O C I AT I O N W I T H

ES051914182557MKE

Research List

Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals Programme
Applying the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Framework for the Prioritisation of Hazardous
Chemicals, 1 the ZDHC Group identified a list of substances for the research and phase out actions of ourframework. Two lists were developed by the ZDHC Group for action as a result of this prioritisation activity –a Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL) and a Research List. The MRSL addresses hazardous
substances potentially used and discharged into the environment during manufacturing and related
processes, not just those substances that could be present in finished products. The list includes chemical
substances subject to a usage ban in facilities that process textile materials and trim parts for use in appareland footwear.
The Research List focuses the ZDHC Group’s efforts on research and development for prioritised substancesthat do not have safer alternatives for all uses in the market today. By encouraging key stakeholders todevelop alternatives for chemicals on the Research List, the ZDHC Group hopes to move these chemicals
more rapidly to the MRSL for supply chain phase out.
Both the Research List and the MRSL will be updated regularly as data become available.

Chemical Substance Resource Links

The following chemical substance resource links provide information about chemical substances on theZDHC Research List, including information about regulations and toxicological data.
•California Environmental Protection Agency (http://www.calepa.ca.gov/)•European Union (EU) Classification ─ Classification and Labelling and Packaging Annex VI(http://echa.europa.eu/addressing-chemicals-of-concern/harmonised-classification-and-labelling/annexvi-to-clp)•

German Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area
(MAK Commission) (http://www.dfg.de/en/dfg_profile/publications/senate_commissions/index.html)•

GreenScreen® List Translator (http://www.greenscreenchemicals.org/method/greenscreen-listtranslator)•

Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry/Ministry of the Environment – Global Harmonizing
System classifications (http://www.meti.go.jp/english/; http://www.env.go.jp/en)•REACH (http://echa.europa.eu/en/regulations)•TEDX (http://endocrinedisruption.org/)•

Toxicology Data Network (TOXNET) – Hazardous Substances Database (http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgibin/sis/htmlgen?HSDB)•United States National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences (http://www.niehs.nih.gov)•

United States Environmental Protection Agency (http://www2.epa.gov/)

1 Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals Group. 2014. Framework for the Prioritisation of Hazardous Chemicals, Revision 1.
http://www.roadmaptozero.com/programme-documents.php.
June 2014

Leaders In Advancing Environmental Responsibility

1CAS Number100-41-4NameEthylbenzene
Chemical intermediate

Additional Remarks and Details on
Use in the Supply Chain
Ethylbenzene is an intermediate in the production of styrene,
which is a precursor to polystyrene and other co-polymers.
Ethylbenzene is a solvent in inks, adhesives, rubber adhesives,
varnishes and paints.
It is also a common solvent used in carrier formulations forpolyester dyeing, in the scouring of natural and synthetic fibres
and fabrics and for cleaning and preventing trimer formation indye machines.
Finally, it is used in production of synthetic rubber.
ZDHC is looking for a safe limit for ethylbenzene as acontaminant in textile chemical formulations.

127-19-5

N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAC)
Solvent

DMAC is used as the main solvent for elastane fibres andsometimes in wet spinning of polyacrylonitrile fibres.
DMACs may be used as a solvent for adhesives or coatings.
ZDHC is looking for safer alternatives to the use of DMAC
especially as a solvent for polyurethane (PU) coatings.

68-12-2

Dimethyl formamide;N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF)

DMF may be used in the formulation of surfactants, liquid dyes
and fluorescent whitening agents.

Solvent

It is also the solvent used during the manufacture of acrylic
fibres and some plastics, as well as the main part of the solvent
mixture or exclusively the solvent for PU coatings.
Due its polarity, it is used to clean dyeing equipment after
processing disperse dyes.
DMF may be present in synthetic leather (processed by PUcoatings) and adhesives.
ZDHC is looking for safer alternatives to dimethyl formamide asa solvent for PU coatings, during the processing of artificial
leather, and the manufacture of sustainable alternatives andalternative techniques without DMF. Research should focus on
all preconditions to substitute DMF.
In addition, ZDHC is looking for a safe alternative for DMF toclean dyeing equipment.

67-56-1

MethanolSolvent

Methanol can be toxic at certain doses and the main concern inthe textile industry is occupational exposure. It is used widely ineveryday consumer products such as windscreen wash,
camping fuels and even dietary products.
Methanol may be used as a solvent in all types of textile
chemicals.
It may be present as a component in solvents that are used toclean components prior to bonding. However, it is unlikely toexist in a finished product.
Methanol is proposed by some EU member states as areproductive toxin like ethanol.
ZDHC is looking for safe limits for methanol as a contaminant intextile chemical formulations.

June 2014

Leaders In Advancing Environmental Responsibility

2CAS Number
108-88-3

NameTolueneAdditional Remarks and Details on
Use in the Supply Chain
Toluene is used as a feedstock in the chemical industry (e.g., as
raw material used to make toluene diisocyanate which is used
to make PUs and in the manufacture of rubber, in adhesivesand as a cleaning agent).

Solvent

Toluene is an excellent solvent and deliberately used as solvent
for PU coatings. There are less harmful alternatives for use inadhesives and cleaning solvents but in the rubber industry(especially high gloss applications) no safer alternatives exist.
ZDHC is looking for safe limits for toluene ascomponent/contaminant in rubber products for textiles.
ZDHC is also looking for safer alternatives for toluene as asolvent for PU coatings. ZDHC believes that toluene cannot be
considered a sustainable substitute for DMF in PU coatings.
108-95-2Phenol

Phenol is not deliberately used in textiles or footwear but trace
amounts of phenol can be found in many chemical
formulations.
ZDHC is looking for safe limits for phenol as a contaminant intextile chemical formulations.

111-77-3

2-(2-methoxyethoxy)-ethanol

2-(2-methoxyethoxy)-ethanol is a glycol and used as anindustrial solvent with wide uses in industry.
Glycols have many uses in the apparel and footwear supply
chain, including as solvents for finishing/cleaning, printing
agents, and dissolving and diluting fats, oils and adhesives (e.g.,in degreasing or cleaning operations).
ZDHC is looking for a safe limit for 2-(2-methoxyethoxy)-ethanol
as a contaminant in textile chemical formulations.

1589-47-5

2-methoxypropanol

2-methoxypropanol is a glycol and a solvent.
Glycols have a wide range of uses in the apparel and footwear
supply chain, including as solvents for finishing/cleaning,printing agents, and dissolving and diluting fats, oils andadhesives (e.g., in degreasing or cleaning operations).
ZDHC is looking for a safe limit for 2-methoxypropanol in textile
chemical formulations.

June 2014

Leaders In Advancing Environmental Responsibility

3

PERFLUORINATED CHEMICALSCAS
NumberVariousName
Short-chain
fluorinated polymers
and related
substances

General Remarks

Details on Use in the Supply Chain

Note, a distinction is made between long-chain and short-chain compounds
according to the OECD – definition (http://www.oecd.org/ehs/pfc/):

PFCs are typically persistent substances that must not bereleased into wastewater.

Long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids: C8 and higher

Fluorinated polymers (fluoro carbon resins) based on C-6
telomer chemistry and fluorinated polymers based on C-4
electro-fluorination chemistry are used for water, oil andstain repellency and soil release finishes for textiles.

Long chain perfluoroalkyl sulfonates: C6 and higher
ZDHC members acknowledge that short-chain perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs)
are, until safer alternatives are found, a substitute for long-chain PFCs.
ZDHC has already started research on alternatives for short-chain PFCs because
there is little data available on these technologies. There is, according to someauthorities, a potential risk that short-chain PFCs may have comparable risks tolong chain PFCs.

ZDHC is looking for PFC-free durable water repellent
alternatives and substitutions that can provide oil and stain
repellency.

Placing short chain PFCs on our Research List demonstrates that we are working
with stakeholders to find replacements for short-chain PFCs. We fully
acknowledge that this may take many years.
As long as no safer alternative for durable water, oil and stain repellency and soil
release with satisfactory performance level is found, some brands will continue
using short-chain PFCs on their consumer products.
In a few cases, due to the end use of the textile (e. g., medical field, personal
protective equipment, military), performance requirements must be consideredmore important than potential environmental risks.
In these few cases, we acknowledge that there may never be suitable
alternatives.
ZDHC members have agreed to eliminate the use of long-chain PFCs by January 2015, which is in line with the voluntary US EPA stewardship program. For this reason
perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) have been placed on our MRSL (http://www.epa.gov/oppt/existingchemicals/pubs/actionplans/pfcs.html).

June 2014

Leaders In Advancing Environmental Responsibility

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