Follow the blue way

The Blue Way

A responsible textile products industry ensures safety and a clean environment, thus ensuring a long-term business model for all involved companies. The latest technology and the best applied practices result in a competitive advantage while simultaneously reducing effects on the environment and people. This is what we understand under the blue way. Together we change the environmental impact of textiles for the better.

Step by step toward sustainability 

Chemicals
Chemicals

Chemicals

Managing chemical substances from the beginning of the manufacturing process of textile products and onward – a vision to which BLUESIGN is committed. Input Stream Management is the route through which this is achieved. That’s why partners in the chemical industry undergo a strict on-site assessment in order to examine the effectiveness of the implemented Product Stewardship System. This allows for a transparent look at the manufactured chemical products and their risks. Accurate data and the development of new chemicals with low risks are the key to risk management and a sustainable departure from hazardous chemical substances. Real Chemical Change Management facilitates a detox of the entire supply chain, which in turn provides safer and more sustainable work and living conditions.

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Materials
Materials

Materials

Textile materials and accessories manufactured exclusively with inspected chemicals in a safe and clean production facility without compromising quality, performance or design – BLUESIGN guarantees this through on-site company assessments and the implementation of comprehensive risk management plan for all types of manufacturers. In addition to qualitative and quantitative chemical management, the concept promotes resource-improving processing in order to reduce the impacts on people and the environment overall. Adherence to a social standard is a basic prerequisite for us. Satisfied employees in the supplier chain and convinced consumers are the outcome.

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Traceability
Traceability

Traceability

Traceability of textile products requires verified data and qualified information. Moreover, traceability needs to be fast and uncomplicated in order to make responsible business decisions. A Cloud Computing Solution provides continuous traceability of products, an online risk warning if there are changes, as well as recommendations for additional risk minimization. A networked supplier chain connects the right partners together. Thus, products are manufactured with high efficiency and maximal benefit to the consumer and environment. This is direct traceability.

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Transparency
Transparency

Transparency

The world wears it: Textile products that follow the blue way and have clear and continuous traceability. Brand quality thus represents minimal environmental burden with maximum sustainability. Open communication through third party-verified and fact-based information tells a new product story ensuring an honest, sustainable image while building trust. We show the industry’s enormous effort and guide the consumer along the blue way.

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Reduced with success

Each year, our 600+ partners ensure that increasingly less hazardous material is released into the environment using “the blue way” concept. They strive to use only smart chemicals and act responsibly. Each year, they save volumes of water that could fill multiple mountain lakes. Thousands of households can be supplied with the energy they save. The carbon footprint is reduced daily. We are continually striving for additional improvements to the bluesign® SYSTEM and on expanding the idea.

Chemicals

Well over 1000 different chemical substances are needed to manufacture consumer product textiles.
 

Among them, over 900 are hazardous substances, which must be managed accordingly. More than 50,000 chemical processing products are provided from hundreds of chemical suppliers as process and effect chemicals. Thus, it is not an easy task for textile processors to choose the right chemicals while also taking into account the requirements for quality, performance and design as well as the applicable legal regulations. Chemical exposure to people and the environment must therefore be given the highest priority.

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Water

Approximately 2.5% of the earth’s water supplies is drinking water, which is also needed in the manufacture of textiles.
 
To manufacture one kilogram of a textile, approx. 600 l of water is used, which translates into an estimated 48 billion cubic meters of water per year for the worldwide industry. In addition to the use of water, water contamination must be given a high level of consideration since water is a central resource. Moreover, by saving water, energy and chemicals can also be saved simultaneously.
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Energy

Energy and its production is one of the greatest challenges our civilization faces.
 

Our daily life and routines demand increasingly more energy. Energy is, of course, needed for the manufacture of products in industry, including the production of textile products. Moving parts, pressurized elements (hydraulics, pneumatics) and high temperatures make textile manufacturing processes energy intensive. The latest technology in machines, new materials, optimized processes as well as the use of smarter chemicals have minimized the use of energy in the manufacture of textile products.

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CO2

Global warming is one of the most acute challenges to our world.
 

By using smarter chemistry, intelligent processes, the Best Available Techniques (BAT) and Best Practices, it should be possible to attain global savings of 50 % in water, 30 % in energy and 15 % in chemicals through the use of non-disruptive innovations. The goal is to increase resource productivity so that the impacts on people and the environment are kept as low as possible. We are on the blue way together in an effort to keep the impacts of textile consumer products manufacturing as low as possible for our blue planet.

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“High tech textiles are booming. So are concerns about unintended side effects. One concern relates to water, energy and chemical consumption. I am particularly happy to see bluesign® addressing such concerns.”

Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker at the 4th bluesign® CONFERENCE

What is your impact?

Look at how much your company has already achieved and what can still be optimized. Inquire about a comprehensive company assessment.

Contact

Services

“We look to BLUESIGN as a partner that knows some of the best practices around sustainability that can help us examine what we’re doing and recommend areas for improvement.”

Kerry Faherty, Brand President of Faherty 

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Eva Karlsson, CEO of Houdini

“bluesign® is an important advisor for setting specific strategies and goals – both for current operations and more importantly, for further developments and innovative projects.”

Eva Karlsson, CEO of Houdini

Regardless of where your company currently is along the path to sustainability, we offer consultation and effective, high-efficiency solutions.

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Adele Kolos

“As a partner, bluesign® offers us a comprehensive and well-founded system. We therefore make it a mission to clarify what bluesign® is to the end user so that this valuable system becomes more familiar and of greater significance to our customers.”

Adele Kolos, Corporate Responsibility Manager at Schöffel

Responsible industry partners and their products stand out with the bluesign® label. Whether among business partners or to the consumer, the blue sign represents trust. Set a sign too.

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Spotlight

Spotlight

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

bluesign DIALOGUES

Discover our event series with stopovers near you offering exciting updates, inspirational presentations by experts, as well as opportunities for training and networking. Join us!

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Spotlight

Thursday, November 28, 2019

INCLUDING THE ENVIRONMENT IN KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Established business practices dictate companies evaluate the success or failures of their business model on key metrics that adhere primarily to financial standards that comprise a healthy balance sheet....

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Spotlight

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

BLUESIGN JOINS THE ZDHC AS CONTRIBUTOR

The bluesign® SYSTEM adds a remarkable number of chemical products from its 12’000+ chemical products list from over 190 chemical suppliers to the ZHDC GatewayTM.

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Current events

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Questions and answers

What is bluesign?

BLUESIGN is a system with solutions for industry and brands with which companies can increase their sustainability performance. The stringent criteria can be achieved by using specifically developed auxiliary materials and with the support BLUESIGN can offer. As an independent authority, BLUESIGN checks the progress of participating companies and ensures ongoing continued development of the criteria and solutions.

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