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The bluesign® standard – an integrative concept for sustainability in textile manufacturing
The basic idea behind the concept is to encapsulate aspects of consumer safety, water and air emissions as well as occupational health in a single standard under the general objective of resource productivity.
In order to enable reliable assessments of the extent to which particular raw materials or components are safe for humans and the environment while also conserving resources to the greatest possible extent, bluesign technologies ag has developed the principle of homologation. Under each of the five main aspects, critical values are transposed onto the input streams. Raw materials and chemical components are investigated and classified on this basis. Consequently, the problem is solved at its root.
Each step in textile production through to the final use is taken into account, while distinctions are made between different areas of use (e.g. close-to-skin applications such as underwear or away-from-skin applications such as outdoor clothing). The independent industry standard is orientated to the most stringent limits in the world and therefore has global validity. It enjoys high acceptance levels in the retail trade.
The aim is to make the implementation of the bluesign® standard as simple as possible for everyone involved. The intention is to avoid unnecessary, additional testing work wherever possible. There is therefore no rigidly prescribed way to meet the standard. Ultimately, the circumstances and existing conditions in the individual enterprises are so different that the best way to reach the target has to be decided and realised individually and with a large degree of self-responsibility.
