Insights > ZDHC MRSL
The ZDHC Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL). The ZDHC Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL) is a fundamental reference for the textile, fashion, and footwear industries, aiming to promote safer and more sustainable production practices. This list, developed under the ZDHC Roadmap to Zero Programme, includes chemicals whose intentional use is prohibited in the processing of textiles, leather, rubber, foam, adhesives, and finishes used in the textile, apparel, and footwear industries. Intentional use refers to the deliberate employment of a chemical substance in a chemical product to achieve a specific appearance or functionality.
The ZDHC MRSL goes beyond traditional chemical restriction approaches, which refer to finished products (Restricted Substances List – RSL) and focus on consumer safety. The MRSL approach also aims to protect workers, local communities, and the environment from the potentially harmful impacts of hazardous chemicals.
Restricted Chemicals
For the MRSL, restrictions apply to chemicals used in cleaners, adhesives, paints, inks, detergents, dyes, dye auxiliaries, coatings, and finishing agents used during the production of raw materials, wet processing, process machine maintenance, wastewater treatment, sanitation, and pest control. The limits imposed by the ZDHC MRSL apply to substances in commercially available formulations and not those resulting from previous stages of chemical synthesis. Using chemical formulations compliant with the ZDHC MRSL allows suppliers to assure themselves and their customers that banned chemicals are not intentionally used during production and manufacturing processes.
The Objective
The ZDHC MRSL provides brands and suppliers with a list of chemicals whose intentional use is prohibited during production and related processes in the textile, apparel, and footwear supply chains (including leather, rubber, and foam). However, it does not replace legal or brand-specific restrictions on harmful substances in materials or finished products.
Offering the ZDHC MRSL as a service from our laboratory means providing our clients with a valuable resource for Chemicals Management to ensure compliance with the highest safety and environmental sustainability standards, actively supporting the transition to responsible production practices.
