How We Protect Our Resources
Responsible chemical and water management go hand in hand at the S.OLIVER GROUP. Certain production processes, such as dyeing fabrics, require the use of chemicals. To ensure that no harmful substances make it down the drain and into lakes and waterways, we use a reliable chemical management system and suitable water treatment processes. We make sure that certain substances are not used during production and are not found in our end products. This not only helps the environment, it also contributes to workplace safety and ensures safe end products that our customers can wear without any concerns.
Product Safety
The marketability and safety of our products is ensured through compliance with the statutory limit values (e.g. REACH regulation, POP regulation).
The use of “substances of very high concern” (SVHC) in accordance with the REACH regulation is also regulated in the company’s own “Restricted Substances List” or RSL, which can be downloaded here.
This list applies at product level and contains clear specifications on prohibited harmful substances as well as limit values for residual chemical substances in the end product. In terms of content, it follows the specifications of the AFIRM Group as well as industry standards such as STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®.
As part of our quality guideline catalog, the RSL is integrated into our supplier contracts, allowing us to ensure compliance with the specifications in production. For every single collection, both we ourselves and our suppliers regularly inspect almost all components of a piece of clothing in accordance with the parameters listed in the RSL. In this context, the products are tested for factors such as carcinogenic azo dyes, allergenic dyes, and other substances that are harmful to human health or the environment.
Chemical Use in Production
We are recognized as “Friends of ZDHC” and are committed to the adoption of the ZDHC MRSL and the use of the ZDHC Gateway.
As such, to manage the use of chemicals in production facilities, we require our suppliers to comply with the “Manufacturer Restricted Substances List” (MSRL) of the ZDHC, as amended, as an absolute minimum. This contains harmful substance limit values for chemicals and compounds that are used in production processes in the factories. In this way, we seek to reduce the use of environmentally damaging or hazardous substances in a sustainable way and in doing so prevent substantial damage to the environment and climate.
In this context, all of our business partners are also obliged to keep a chemical inventory list. A digital inventory system is intended to provide more transparency and safety with regard to all chemicals used in production. The chemical inventory list also allows us to better cooperate with our suppliers in the successive replacement of certain chemicals with alternatives that are better for the environment.
We abstain from using PFAS
PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are also a concern for us. These man-made chemicals are used because they are, among other things, a great dirt- and water-repellent. Unfortunately, they are also difficult to break down and accumulate in the environment. They are suspected to have negative health effects on humans. The use of these substances is strongly criticized.
Therefore, the S.OLIVER GROUP has decided to no longer use PFAS in the production of our products starting from the Fall/Winter collection of 2024.