Chapter 04 · People & supply chainsSupply Chain & Due Diligence
Chemical Management
Definition
The organised set of policies, processes and controls by which a company manages chemicals through their lifecycle: procurement and inventory, safe storage and handling, use in production, and recycling or disposal. In manufacturing supply chains it typically means a chemical management system (CMS) covering purchasing policy, chemical inventory, worker safety, effluent control and supplier conformance.
References
Overview
What it means
Chemical management moved centre-stage in textile and footwear supply chains after Greenpeace's 2011 "Dirty Laundry" campaign, which catalysed the ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) Foundation in 2015.
ZDHC's Roadmap to Zero structures chemical management across the input–process–output chain: input control via the Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL) and Gateway conformance levels; process control via CMS guidance and training; output control via wastewater guidelines and testing.
The model generalises: systematic chemical management is now an expectation in electronics, automotive and consumer-goods due diligence, and a scoring dimension in buyer audits and the Chemical Footprint Project.
How it is used
Brands require tier-1 and wet-processing suppliers to implement CMS and MRSL conformance (Levels 1–3); third parties (Intertek, Eurofins, UL) audit and verify; EHS teams manage inventories, SDSs and purchasing approvals; disclosure platforms track performance (InCheck reporting).
Why it matters
Chemical management is where pollution prevention actually happens — the operational discipline that turns restricted-substance lists into cleaner water, safer workers and compliant products.