Chemical Management

Since 2015, Pattern has been engaged in a collaborative process with its customers and suppliers aimed at phasing out chemicals considered harmful to humans and the environment by major international standards in its production processes. To this end, Pattern and its customers, suppliers and sub-suppliers adopt the protocol outlined by the ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) foundation, set up in 2011 with the intention of providing brands and all players in the textile-clothing and footwear sector with a global, unified standard for responsible chemical management. 
 

CHEMICAL DUE DILIGENCE

In order to minimise the risks to the end consumer of coming into contact with hazardous chemicals through the use of the finished product, Pattern's customers are required to carry out tests to verify the quality and chemical compliance of the materials supplied to the standards indicated, which are considered an essential prerequisite for the sale of garments. In addition, to assess the chemical compliance of purchased raw materials, Pattern carries out periodic due diligence checks on selected items following a chemical risk assessment. After following certain pre-assessment criteria such as volume/value of that supplier's business out of the total ordered, supplier's rating, type of material, processing undergone by the article in question, Pattern's Chemical Manager determines how many tests to perform and on which substances, and sends the fabrics to accredited testing laboratories. Pattern performs its due diligence for each season, concentrating mainly on the raw materials purchased, fabrics and linings, in which the greatest chemical risk is concentrated due to the wet processing carried out in the upstream supply chain. The graph below shows the volume percentages of fabrics purchased in 2022 that were tested by Pattern and its suppliers against each of the PRSL parameters, dividing the results between those that tested PASS and those that tested FAIL.

WATER RISK

In 2022, 66% of textile suppliers, in terms of purchase volume, were formally engaged in the Water Conservation project and, as a Pattern, they designated an internal corporate resource to the role of Water Manager. This figure is assigned the task of increasing the awareness of the company's partners regarding the responsible use of water, the risks associated with non-availability and poor quality of water and the opportunities for improvement of the company's water management system. The objective is therefore to support supply chain partners in improving their resilience profile and thereby also improve their corporate resilience profile.