First products in the marketplace

The first products of bluesign s venture, made fi om synthetic fibers, have recently been introduced to the marketplace. Switzerland-based Schoeller Textil, a company known for its innovative performance fabrics, has produced a line of polyester fabrics made entirely without the use of environmental toxins. This new production process lowers energy consiunption by 85 percent and water consumption by 75 percent. The new production process for these fabrics requires less raw materials and eliminates toxic by-products, said Tom Weinbender, president, Schoeller Textil USA, Seattle, Wash. The quality of these cutting-edge fabrics is not compromised in any way, resulting in the same high standards that Schoeller customers expect. 

The bluesign standard is based on five principles of sustainability. These are resource productivity, consumer safety, air emission, water emission and occupational health safety. 

Instead of testing a manufacturer s finished product, the applied components and processes are already audited pre-production. This so-called Input Stream Management System ensures that the use of problematic substances is avoided from the start resulting in an entirely safe finished product. 

The bluesign standard defines specific criteria applied to each phase within the production chain to ensme compliance with the five principles 

DyStar joined the bluesign platform as a system partner in 2008 and now has more than 600 textile dyes and pigment preparations and more than 200 textile auxiliaries listed in the bluefinder database so that manufacturers have the widest possible choice of quality products to choose from when they are seeking to produce bluesign approved fabric. 

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