TESTEX interviews Sun Chemical Advanced Materials S.A. on its OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT certification

Could you provide a brief overview of the chemical products or solutions you offer to the industry?

Sun Chemical provides a full range of digital textile inks for decoration of goods in the fashion, sports apparel, home textile and sign and display markets. The ink ranges available include reactive dye, sublimation, pigment and acid dye inks.

Who are your major customers and in which sector are they active?

The major users for Sun Chemical digital inks are printers who supply fashion, sports and home fashion brands, the brands themselves or print shops specialising in flags, banners and display fabrics. Sun Chemical works via different channels to add value to the market and partners with printer manufacturers, distributors and also selling to larger volume printers directly.

What are the benefits gained by your customers from your chemical products, solutions or services?

Sun Chemical provides innovative solutions to maximise the value for our partners.

How do you think the chemical industry has evolved? And what can be expected in the forthcoming years?

The industry is more conscious of output and the global impact of production and use of chemicals. The quality and purity of available chemistry has increased allowing a wider window of use. Generally, there is a view towards using more materials from renewable resources and eliminating the use of hazardous chemicals.

How does your company sustain its competency in the chemical market for the textile and leather industries?

At Sun Chemical we are dedicated to innovation and ensuring we challenge the possibilities. Part of this is monitoring and evaluating many new materials that come to the market or in the early stages to understand chemistry fit and application performance. We often work directly with chemistry providers to develop bespoke solutions to meet market needs.

What are the requirements and expectations of your stakeholders towards sustainable production, and how do you respond to them?

Sustainability is a critical consideration for the majority of our customers. They want to have products that allow them to comply with specific industry standards such as GOTS, ZDHC and OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT. We work with the industry to understand pain points and areas in application and workflow where chemistry can have a positive impact by reducing water and energy consumption and lowering the waste in chemical use and peripherals such as paper. Specifically for compliance we use qualified testing houses such as TESTEX to ensure data is independently produced and verified.

Considering the impact that chemical products can have on the environment, would you tell us about your concrete steps in driving sustainability in the textile and leather industries?

We are actively working with suppliers and implementing solutions where petrochemical derivatives are replaced by renewable alternatives. We also look at product lifecycle and implement a 5R policy of Re-use, Reduce, Recycle, Renew and Re-design. As far as possible we build a sustainability planning into product design.

Would you cite some examples on the best practices being adopted in your production factories for better environmental & chemical management?

Sun Chemical is constantly working to promote sustainable solutions. Our approach to sustainability guides the way we develop, manufacture and distribute products, as well as how we work with our customers and suppliers. Sun Chemical takes a phased approach to our sustainability efforts and uses a roadmap to improve the eco-efficiency of our processes and products.

Which level of OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT certification have your chemical products attained?

We have attained ZDHC Level 3. The business currently holds OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT certifications for several ranges of inks and is in the process of expanding this certification to some new ink products

What are the major challenges in getting your chemical products OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT certified and how did your company overcome the challenges?

The main challenges are the very complex formulations and being able to trace and track any minor trace impurities. This is done by very robust incoming QA of all raw materials to ensure that all products are compliant with OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT.

How does the OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT certification scheme help your company in communicating your success in sustainable production with your key stakeholders?

OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT is becoming an industry recognized standard that textile producers have confidence in. It allows them to understand our management of chemical inputs and hazardous chemicals. The link to ZDHC is valuable as it provides a clarity to the market on compliance.

What are the competitive advantages of getting your chemical products certified with OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT?

• Staying ahead of regulatory curves, pre-empting legal problems of product non-compliance
• Protecting corporate reputation
• Product and brand differentiation
• OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT is becoming a standard need in the market for textile producers and allows them to show compliance with other OEKO-TEX® standards.
• Active communication towards downstream users regarding financial benefits in their own certifications when their facilities and products are OEKO-TEX® certified.

Why did you choose OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT over other possible choices in the industry?

OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT is well recognised in the industry. It provides a clear visibility of chemistry management and is directly linked with our ink products rather than a factory certification for the printed fabric.

In what area of the OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT certification scheme could further improvements be made to meet the needs of your customers?

Giving OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT a clearer link to other certifications and brand standards to provide an overall compliance for textile producers.

How do you comment on your experience in working with TESTEX in this OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT certification?

It was a very thorough and professional scrutinization of the products, facilities and processes of manufacture.

Statement by OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT Auditor Mary-Rose Egloff

«The success of the On-Site visit is a product of a good collaboration, full cooperation and support provided by Sun Chemical Advanced Materials S.A. From the review of the Self-Assessment to the facility inspection, transparency played a vital role, leading to the products’ attainment of the highest level of OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT certification. The company operates in a high standard of quality that allows for good product stewardship practices and compatibility in its processes, as well as in its products and services.»