Chemical information in textile supply chains - the case of Swedish producers and importers

Poster (konferens), 2009

In textile production, a large amount of chemicals is used, mostly in wet treatment processes like dying and washing. It is important that risk information about these chemicals is communicated all the way through the supply chain in order to avoid health and environmental effects on different actors and surroundings. For textile producers in the EU it is also important to make sure that the chemicals they use are registered for the actual usage according to the REACH legislation and for textile importers is it necessary to be aware if any of the substances listed in REACH Annex XIV are present in the products. Representatives for Swedish textile producing companies have been interviewed and asked what risk related chemical information they achieve from the chemical producers, how they handle the information and what information they communicate to their customers. Swedish textile importing companies have been interviewed about what chemical information they demand from their suppliers, the textile producing companies in for instance Asia. The study highlights the differences between flows of chemical information for textiles produced in Sweden compared to textiles produced outside EU and how legislation affects the information and the chemical usage. The results show that the textile producers achieve safety data sheets from the chemical producers. These sheets contain the prescribed information, but are often not that detailed and it is not unusual that the textile producers request further information. The Swedish textile importers do not achieve any risk related chemical information from their suppliers; instead they set up demands regarding the chemical content in the final product.