In the EU Interreg project ECHT, actors along the textile value chain (H&M, LIST, Inditex, Puma, Team2, etc.) are convinced that the traceability of chemicals in their products is an essential prerequisite for meeting the objectives of the Sustainable Textiles Strategy. As part of the project, roadmaps for the implementation of chemicals traceability in the industry will be developed – complemented by a policy action plan.
For this reason, together with the German Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt), the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences is organizing a one-day event dedicated to this topic. Based on the project results from ECHT and expert contributions from the textile value chains and NGOs, the event aims to promote an active exchange with relevant stakeholders from industry and policy-makers.
After briefly presenting interesting insights and intermediate results from the ECHT project including the development of two potential future scenarios as well as a Theory of Change, the event addresses important issues such as:

• How do we overcome barriers that block the path to chemicals traceability?
• How can chemicals traceability requirements be reconciled with legitimate confidentiality requirements?
• How can stakeholders at the end of the life cycle benefit from full traceability of the chemicals contained in products?
• How can chemicals traceability be applied through global value chains?