15 May DyStar Receives the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute’s GOLD-Level Material Health Certificate for Apparel Dyes: Becomes Fashion Positive Partner
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DyStar Receives the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute’s GOLD-Level Material Health Certificate for Apparel Dyes: Becomes Fashion Positive Partner
San Francisco, CA – May 13, 2016 – A selection of DyStar apparel dyes for the fashion industry has been assessed against the criteria of the Material Health category in the Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Product Standard and has been awarded a GOLD-level Material Health Certificate. That certificate means that no substances present in the formulation at a concentration of 100 ppm or above poses a risk to humans or the environment during textile dying, use, or end-of-use.
The dyes will be added to the Fashion Positive Materials Library, a digital database of better materials for fashion that have been verified through Material Health Certificates or the Cradle to Cradle CertifiedTM Products Program. Fashion Positive is a fashion-industry-focused initiative of the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute. The first of its kind, the Fashion Positive Materials Library was created in 2015 to develop “building blocks” for fashion designers, brands and retailers to grow the circular economy. According to Accenture, the Circular Economy could generate $4.5 trillion of additional economic output by 2030.
“With DyStar’s achievement of a Material Health Certificate for these textile dyes, they have demonstrated a commitment to positive impact in the communities where clothes are made and their downstream impact,” says Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute President, Lewis Perkins.
The dyes include a range of products for vat, disperse, and reactive dyeing of textiles. These dyes are safer for the people who use them as well as the environment and fresh water supplies where large-scale fabric dyeing takes place.
“As the first textile dye company to earn a Material Health Certificate at the Gold level, DyStar reaffirms its commitment to environmental and human health. In producing dyes for fabrics from cottons to polyester, wool, cashmere and silk, DyStar is proud to be part of a more sustainable future and growing a circular economy,” says John Easton, Global Ecology Services Manager at DyStar.
The Material Health Certificate is based on a rigorous assessment methodology: Chemical substances present at ≥ 0.01% by weight are identified in each material subject to review. These are then inventoried and assessed against 24 hazard endpoints defined by the program. No grey (unknown) or x-assessed chemicals are allowed in a Gold level product. When data or exposure is uncertain, the precautionary principle is applied (assumption of worse-case scenario outcomes).
Dyes included in the certification are Dianix® for polyester, Remazol®, Indanthren®, and Levafix® for cotton, and Realan® for cashmere, wool, and silk. There’s also an alternative to traditional indigo powder dye—DyStar Indigo Vat 40% Solution for denim…
“The indigo dye’s main byproduct is mostly water, and not sulfates and dye solids, which further advances the health of local water systems and thus human and ecological life,” says Perkins.
All the dyes covered by the Material Health Certificate at the Gold Level are on DyStar
About Fashion Positive
The Fashion Positive Initiative applies the Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Product Standard to transform the way apparel and accessories are made. The Initiative spurs the creation of materials and products that aren’t just “less bad,” but are “more good”—resulting in a regenerative, beneficial impact on the environment and society. Launched by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, Fashion Positive collaborates with fashion industry partners to address pressing challenges, including harmful chemicals, water pollution and labor practices. Using the Cradle to Cradle® design framework developed by Michael Braungart and William McDonough and the requirements of the Institute’s Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Product Program, Fashion Positive brands and supply chain partners can develop truly innovative products and materials to transform the fashion industry and the world. Fashion Positive is made possible in part by The DOEN Foundation, fund of the Dutch Postcode Lottery and Wendy & Eric Schmidt. For more information visit www.fashionpositive.org
About the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute
The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute is a non-profit organization whose mission is to turn the making of things into a positive force for people, the economy and the planet. They steward the Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Products Program, which is a system for assessing and constantly improving products based upon five categories: material health, material reuse, renewable energy, water stewardship and social fairness. The Institute is headquartered in San Francisco, CA with satellite offices in Amsterdam, NL; and Raleigh, NC. For more information, visit www.c2ccertified.org
Press contact:
Jen Pinto
jen@jpintoconsult.com