The Unseen Process
The hardest work never shows.
Your label tells you what a product is made of. It doesn't tell you how it was made. That part happens out of sight, in the chemistry, the processes, and the conditions behind the product. Four questions, four things you were never shown.
What is bluesign?
bluesign is an independent system for the textile industry. We assess the chemistry and the processes behind how a product is made, at the source, before the finished product exists. Over 900 System Partner companies work with us on the processes behind their products.
900+System Partners
What touches you
How many times did you touch the zipper today?
Metal hardware is plated with compounds containing nickel, cadmium or lead. Friction and heat transfer chemistry to your skin.
Metal hardware gets its finish from plating, a chemistry chosen at the factory. How it's made decides what stays in the plating.
We check how it was made, so what's in the plating stays in the plating. bluesign assesses the chemical inputs across the components in a product, not just the fabric, at the source.
Four more things you touch all day
What is my baby actually sucking on?
The dye and softening chemistry on that strap is chosen at the mill, long before it reaches you.
bluesign assesses the chemical inputs and processes behind how a product is made, at the source, so what goes into it isn't left to chance.
What actually makes my jacket repel water?
The water-repellent finish is a chemistry applied at the factory. How it's used and handled decides what ends up in the material.
bluesign assesses the chemical inputs and processes behind how a product is made, and restricts certain substances at the source.
Why do my new socks bleed color in the wash?
When dye isn't set or rinsed properly at the mill, the color stays loose and lets go the first time it gets wet.
bluesign assesses the dye chemistry and the rinsing and setting steps, so the color that's supposed to stay in the fabric does.
What is my t-shirt actually made from?
Most t-shirts are polyester, made with a metal catalyst that can leave traces in the fiber. Recycled polyester is no different.
bluesign assesses the chemical inputs and processes behind the material, so what's used to make it is accounted for, not assumed.
The people who make it
Who worked with the machines that made my clothes?
Hearing protection required under bluesign criteria
Hold to raise the level.
The machines that make textiles are loud enough to cause permanent hearing loss, built up over years on the job.
bluesign assesses the conditions where products are made, so the noise, the dust, and the chemistry a worker handles are part of what gets checked, not left unseen.
More questions from the same floor
Who was listening to the machines that made my shirt?
Textile machinery can be loud enough to damage hearing over years on the job.
bluesign assesses the conditions where products are made, including noise exposure on the floor.
Who breathed the dust that made these look worn?
That worn look is often made by sandblasting, which puts fine dust into the air workers breathe.
bluesign assesses the conditions where products are made, including air quality and worker exposure.
When my skirt was dyed, who stood next to a hot dye bath all day?
Dyeing runs hot, and the heat, fumes, and strain of standing beside it add up over time.
bluesign assesses the conditions where products are made, including heat and chemical exposure.
Who decided what chemistry went into my dress?
Someone at the mill chooses which chemicals to use, often under pressure to keep costs down.
bluesign assesses the chemical inputs at the source, so the choice is measured against the bluesign Criteria, not just cost.
Water and air
What happens to the water that made my jeans?
This is the water that made your jeans. Dyeing denim takes huge amounts of water, and what is still in that water, and where it goes, is a choice made at the mill.
At a mill in the bluesign System, that water is treated before it’s released, either on site or at a treatment plant the mill works with, and tested against set limits. The most problematic chemicals, like PFAS, have to be kept out of it and collected separately.
Before it leaves the mill, it goes through treatment. bluesign assesses what goes into the water and air during production, and what the process is allowed to release.
More questions about the same water
My clothes were dyed somewhere. What went into the water there?
Dyeing takes huge amounts of water, and what a mill puts back into the river is a choice.
bluesign assesses what goes into water and air during production, and what the process is allowed to release.
Why does this fabric shed tiny fibers every wash?
How much a fabric sheds is set during production, by the fiber and how it’s finished.
bluesign assesses the inputs and finishing processes behind a material, which influence how it behaves later.
Who’s behind it
Who is part of this?
We check how it was made. Look for the bluepass mark.
What bluepass means
bluepass is the mark you can look for. On a product, it means that product was made through processes that meet the bluesign Criteria. Look for bluepass, and if it isn’t there yet, ask your brand how a product was made. The more people ask, the more it matters.
Have a product?
See what the mark covers and how to look it up.
Making things?
Over 900 System Partner companies work with bluesign on the processes behind their products.