Commodity chemicals represent the foundation of the chemical industry, encompassing primary substances like acids, bases, and salts, which serve as building blocks for the production of more complex materials. They are heavily used across an extensive range of industries. While commodity chemicals are typically used to aid in a production process (and therefore typically do not stay on the final article), understanding the quality of the commodity chemicals you use through commodity chemical testing has become essential in managing your chemical footprint and ensuring full MRSL compliance.

The challenges of commodity chemical testing

The challenges of working with commodity chemicals are well understood in the many industries that use them – specifically issues around contamination, quality, and traceability. These challenges may be associated with the presence of hazardous substances in commodity chemicals – leading to a new set of challenges around MRSL compliance.

When it comes to commodity chemical testing, the problem (up until now) is that most commodity chemicals cannot be easily tested by traditional methods as their chemical properties complicate analysis and can damage sensitive analytical instruments. There are also solubility and extraction challenges that make it difficult to prepare samples for testing.

ZDHC Commodity Chemicals Guide

A key resource in addressing the challenges of MRSL compliance with commodity chemicals is the ZDHC Commodity Chemicals Guide v1.0, which provides textile, leather, apparel, and footwear industries best practices for managing and assessing commodity chemicals. The new May 2024 guideline will help stakeholders navigate issues related to contamination, traceability, and compliance – reinforcing the need for advanced and innovative commodity chemical testing solutions.

Introducing Eurofins Sustainability Services commodity chemical testing

To support textile, leather, apparel, and footwear industries with the advanced solutions needed for reliable commodity chemical testing, the innovation team at Eurofins Sustainability Services has developed a method to test for hazardous contaminants in commodity chemicals and to successfully prepare samples for testing. This is the first service of its kind and provides these industries with a reliable approach to mitigating risk and complying with the new ZDHC guidelines and ZDHC’s MRSL.

The benefits of this approach to testing MRSL in commodity chemicals

• Collaboration with ZDHC: We are ready to help you meet the testing requirements of ZDHC
• Cost-effective: Methodology takes into account composite opportunities to allow for budget friendly testing
• Innovative processes: We have developed a proprietary extraction and composite method to extract hazardous contaminations from samples and analyse with available chromatographic instruments
• Scalable commodity chemical testing processes: Testing across Eurofins’ global labs

Commodity chemical testing resources

Eurofins is passionate about providing you with accurate, up-to-date, and reliable information. Please see below for valuable resources on commodity chemical testing and compliance with ZDHC commodity chemicals guide.

• Webinar on-demand | Mastering commodity chemical testing for ZDHC compliance. Coming soon!

Contact us about testing for MRSL in commodity chemicals

Navigating the complex regulatory landscape around hazardous substances and MRSLs can be overwhelming and a challenge for many industries. Contact us to learn how Eurofins Sustainability Services can be your partner to innovate your commodity chemical testing, achieve compliance with the ZDHC commodity chemicals guide, and manage MRSL in commodity chemicals.

Frequently asked questions about testing MRSL compliance in commodity chemicals

1. What substances are tested with Eurofins Sustainability Services commodity chemical testing?

We test the chemicals themselves for hazardous contaminants.

2. Which chemicals can be tested with Eurofins Sustainability Services commodity chemical testing?

A wide range of commodity chemicals, including acids, bases, solvents, and other processing aids commonly used in textile and footwear manufacturing.

3. What types of contaminants are checked with Eurofins Sustainability Services commodity chemical testing? Do you cover MRSL in commodity chemicals?

The analysis focuses on ZDHC MRSL listed substances.

4. How does this commodity chemical testing help comply with the ZDHC commodity chemical guide?

By proactively testing commodity chemicals, businesses can ensure compliance before use, reducing the risk of MRSL non-compliance in production and avoiding costly supply chain disruptions. It is also likely that ZDHC will introduce testing requirements for commodity chemicals in the near future.