Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL).pdf

1 Background In the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Joint Roadmap, Version 2, ZDHC member brands committed to define and develop a Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL) for the apparel and footwear industry. 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. 2 Purpose The ZDHC MRSL will assist brands, their supply chains and the broader industry to adopt a harmonised approach to the control of hazardous substances used to process textile and trim materials in apparel and footwear. Natural leather and metal trim parts are excluded from the scope of this MRSL version.1 The MRSL should be communicated to raw material suppliers, including wet-processing facilities and sub-contractors and factories assembling or manufacturing garments and footwear. ZDHC brands expect that material suppliers and factories will communicate with their chemical suppliers to ensure that the listed substances are not present in chemical formulations above established limits. Note: The MRSL does not replace applicable national environmental or workplace safety restrictions. Worker exposure to the listed and other hazardous substances must not exceed occupational exposure limits and chemical formulations must comply with all applicable legal restrictions, including any subsequent restrictions that establish stricter limits. The ZDHC MRSL does not replace legal or brand-specific restrictions on hazardous substances in finished products. 3 Definitions MRSL The ZDHC MRSL is a list of chemical substances subject to a usage ban (see Usage Ban, p. 2). The MRSL applies to chemicals used in facilities that process textile materials and trim parts for use in apparel and footwear. The MRSL does not apply to natural leather processing or production of metal trim parts. Chemicals on the MRSL include