Glossary
Advisory board | Independent, interdisciplinary committee consisting of representatives of the scientific and research communities, environmental policy, industry and consumer and environmental organisations |
Air emissions | Substances that escape from an industrial process into the exhaust air path |
Best Available Product (BAP) | Best product to reach a specific performance with minimal resource consumption and lowest overall environmental impact |
Best Available Technology (BAT) | State-of-the-art technology, environmentally sustainable and representing the highest level with respect to design, installation, composition, maintenance, operation and also disposal; economically and technologically cost-effective |
Best practice | Optimum methods, state of the art technology |
"blue" classification | Components, production processes and technologies that may be used for all applications under the bluesign® standard |
bluefinder™ | Database for bluesign® partner enterprises for finding homologated components |
bluetool™ | A software tool used for the homologation of components in accordance with the bluesign® standard |
Components | All products that manufacturers use in the textile production chain, e.g. yarns, preparations, additives and dyes |
Consumer safety | Overriding principle “protect the consumer” by reducing harmful substances to the lowest possible levels through proactive action in the entire textile chain |
Cost inflation factor (cif) | Factor calculated from the resource inflation factor that reflects the cost saving potential |
EHS | Environment, Health and Safety |
"grey" classification | Components, production processes and technologies that may be used in limited applications following the principle of the Best Available Technology (BAT). An important principle here is that consumer protection is always assured |
Homologation | A process developed by bluesign technologies ag for the rating of components, technologies and processes |
Input Stream Management | A preventive concept for controlling and optimising material streams on the input side to simultaneously optimise output |
Input streams | Materials (components such as fibres, yarns, additives and dyes) that go into the input side of a process and have a determining influence on the output |
Labels | The labels "bluesign® approved" for chemical components, "bluesign® approved fabric" for semi-finished products and "bluesign® safety" for final goods stand for products that fully comply with the bluesign® standard and as such are environmentally friendly, pose no health hazards, and conserve resources to the greatest possible extent |
Membership | Leading retailers and brand companies have the possibility to actively take part in the bluesign® standard trough a bluesign® membership |
Partners | Textile manufacturers that have the bluesign® standard implemented in their production process |
Power groups | Independent non-profit organisations, NGO's |
REACH | Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals – strict EU regulation for the reformation of the EU chemicals legislation. According to REACH, only registered (data on physical properties, toxicity data, data on hazard for humans etc. have to be provided by chemical suppliers) and officially evaluated chemicals may be sold. The most hazardous chemicals can only be used if especially authorised |
Resource efficiency | Generate the greatest possible benefit using the smallest possible quantity of natural resources |
Resource inflation factor (rif) | Factor calculated through the bluesign® screening process. It shows the overall resource saving potential of the production systems compared to BAT |
Resource productivity | The amount of goods and services obtained from a given input quantity of resources (material and energy). Resource productivity is the reciprocal value of the material and energy input per service unit. From an ecological point of view it makes sense to increase resource productivity. This means that fewer resources are consumed for the provision of an identical or better function or service, reducing the environmental load to a minimum. The term was coined by Prof. Friedrich Schmidt-Bleek (advisory board of bluesign technologies ag) at the beginning of the 1990s and implemented in the MIPS concept (material input per unit of service). The empirical unit MIPS measures the quantity of natural resource, in kilograms or tons, that is used to provide a particular benefit or service |
RSL - Restricted Substance List | List of banned substances and also problem substances that are permitted up to a defined limit. Various retail companies specify this list as a standard for their manufacturers |
Screening | Includes the detailed evaluation of the environmental, resource, and occupational health situation of textile manufacturing sites according to the five principles of the bluesign® standard (resource productivity, consumer safety, air emission, water emission and occupational health and safety) |
Supporters | Leading companies of the chemical industry that support and proactively participate in the bluesign® standard |
Test institutes | Audited test institutes that carry out analyses based on the bluesign® standard |
Water emission | Substances that enter the waste water path via a wet process |
Workplace situation | Direct environmental influences that impact on people in the workplace in the form of vapours, gases, dust particles, noise, temperature, etc. |