Frequently Asked Questions About bluesign

bluesign is an independent system that works behind the scenes of textile production. It sets criteria for the chemicals, materials, and processes used to make textiles, then assesses companies against those criteria on site. bluesign works with brands, manufacturers, and chemical suppliers to reduce chemical risk, use resources more efficiently, and improve production over time. Over 900 System Partner companies apply the system today. bluesign is an SGS company.

bluesign starts at the beginning of production rather than at the finished product. Three parts:

• Input stream management. Chemical products are assessed against bluesign Criteria before they enter production, so risk is addressed at the source instead of found later through testing.
• On-site assessment. bluesign assessors visit System Partner companies at least every three years, covering chemical management, resource use, environmental performance, worker safety, and consumer safety.
• Ongoing improvement. Partners receive a gap analysis, an improvement roadmap, and annual reporting, including verified primary data on environmental footprint.

A bluesign System Partner has signed the System Partner agreement and passed the bluesign Criteria assessment. Partners get:

• Independent assessment against bluesign Criteria, carried out on site by bluesign’s own assessors
• A gap analysis, improvement roadmap, and expert support to work through it
• Verified primary data on environmental footprint, which supports ESG and Digital Product Passport reporting
• Access to sourcing tools: the bluesign Finder for chemical products, the bluesign Guide for fabrics, trims, and accessories
• The ability to certify chemical products, articles, or consumer products under the bluepass certification mark

• System Partnership Service. For brands and retailers, manufacturers and converters, and chemical suppliers. Covers supply chain improvement and reporting, certification of chemical products, articles, and consumer products, and access to bluesign tools and resources.
• Impact Assessment Service. Offered to manufacturers. Certifies environmental impacts and builds the foundation for an improvement strategy. It also serves as a route into full System Partnership.

The bluesign Criteria are the published requirements that System Partner companies are assessed against. They cover product stewardship, resource productivity, environmental protection, worker and social responsibility, and management system requirements. In practice this includes:

• Restrictions on substances of concern, set out in the bluesign System Substance List (BSSL)
• Alignment with regulatory frameworks such as REACH, and with industry programs such as ZDHC
• More efficient use of water, energy, and chemical inputs
• Occupational health and safety conditions in production

Safer chemistry means selecting chemical products with lower hazard and lower exposure risk for workers, consumers, and the environment, without sacrificing performance. In the bluesign System:

• Chemical products are assessed against bluesign Criteria before they are used in production. Certified products are listed in the bluesign Finder.
• Substances of concern are restricted through the BSSL, which is updated as science and regulation develop.
• Partners work with bluesign experts to replace higher-risk substances where suitable alternatives exist.

Input stream management means assessing chemical products and materials before they enter production, rather than testing only the finished product. Working at the input stage:

• Reduces the chance of a chemical problem surfacing late, when it is expensive to fix
• Supports regulatory readiness, because restricted substances are screened out earlier
• Gives manufacturers a pre-assessed set of chemical products to work from, listed in the bluesign Finder

• On-site assessment by bluesign’s own assessors, at least every three years, covering chemical inventory, processes, resource use, and worker safety
• Annual reporting from partners, which bluesign uses to calculate environmental footprint and produce an annual impact report
• The bluesign System Substance List (BSSL), the reference list of restricted substances and limits
• A gap analysis and improvement roadmap, with progress tracked between assessments

bluesign offers digital tools that support safer chemistry, responsible sourcing, and supply chain compliance:

• bluesign Finder (bluesignfinder.com): the sourcing database for certified chemical products. More than 28,000 bluepass chemical products are listed, cumulative since bluesign was founded.
• bluesign Guide (bluesignguide.com): the sourcing database for certified fabrics, trims, and accessories. More than 73,000 bluepass articles are listed, cumulative since foundation.
• bluesign TOOL: the chemical assessment and rating tool chemical suppliers use to submit and evaluate products against bluesign Criteria.
• bluesign Cube: the online platform where System Partner companies manage assessments, data, and reporting.

bluepass is the bluesign certification mark. It identifies products, articles, and chemical products whose production processes meet bluesign Criteria. bluepass replaced the previous bluesign® PRODUCT and bluesign® APPROVED marks. The criteria, the assessment, and the system behind the mark are unchanged. Only the mark and the claim language have changed.

• bluepass consumer product: finished goods such as apparel, denim, home textiles, equipment, and footwear
• bluepass article: fabrics, accessories, and trims. Listed on the bluesign Guide.
• bluepass chemical product: chemical products. Listed on the bluesign Finder.

It means the product, article, or chemical product was produced through processes that meet bluesign Criteria for product stewardship, resource productivity, environmental protection, worker and social responsibility, including management system requirements. Every bluepass label carries a QR code. Scanning it leads to bluesign.com/verify, where the claim is explained and substantiated.

A defined share of the textiles and accessories in the product must be certified, with the remaining components coming from a qualified supplier and meeting the brand’s restricted substances list. The thresholds differ by category (apparel, denim, home textiles, equipment, footwear). The current requirements are set out in the bluesign Criteria and explained on the verification page at bluesign.com/verify.

They remain valid during the transition, and you will still see them on products and materials in market. bluepass replaces them. The recommended timing:

• Consumer-facing claims on products sold in the EU: address by 27 September 2026. This is an EU regulatory deadline, not a bluesign deadline.
• Business-to-business labels and communication: transition by the end of 2026.
• Full transition to bluepass: by the end of 2027.

A bluepass label tells you something specific about how a product was made, rather than describing it in general terms. It means the production processes behind it were assessed against published criteria by an independent system, covering chemical inputs, resource use, environmental performance, and worker safety. You can check what it covers by scanning the QR code on the label or visiting bluesign.com/verify.

Look for the bluepass mark and a QR code on the product, hangtag, or product page. Some products carry an ingredient-level claim instead, for example “shell fabric produced through processes that meet bluesign Criteria.” That describes a specific component, not the whole product.

1. Contact bluesign to discuss which service fits your position in the supply chain.
2. Complete an initial assessment of current practices, chemical inventory, and processes.
3. Sign the System Partner agreement.
4. Work through the gap analysis and improvement roadmap with bluesign experts.
5. Once the company has passed the bluesign Criteria assessment, it can use the System Partner identity and, where products meet the requirements, certify them under bluepass.

• Chemical products: the bluesign Finder (bluesignfinder.com)
• Fabrics, trims, and accessories: the bluesign Guide (bluesignguide.com)
• Finished products: look for the bluepass mark and QR code on the product or hangtag

No. They serve different purposes. OEKO-TEX Standard 100 focuses on testing finished products and materials for harmful substances. ZDHC provides a chemical management framework and wastewater guidelines for the industry. bluesign is a system that starts at chemical selection, includes on-site facility assessment, and covers occupational health, environmental performance, and consumer safety within one set of criteria. Many companies use more than one.

Testing is part of the picture, but it is not where the system starts. bluesign assesses chemical products before they enter production, then assesses the manufacturing processes that use them. Certification testing is applied when articles and consumer products are registered. The aim is to address risk at the input stage rather than detect it at the end.

bluesign does not make “free of” claims. The bluesign System Substance List restricts substances of concern, including PFAS, and is updated as scientific evidence and regulation develop. For specific substances and limits, see the bluesign Criteria or contact bluesign.

EU rules, including the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition directive, require environmental claims on products to be specific and substantiated. Generic labels without verified backing are restricted. bluepass is built to work under those requirements: the claim language is defined, and every label carries a QR code leading to bluesign.com/verify, where the claim is explained. bluesign does not provide legal advice on compliance. Companies should confirm their own obligations.