Switzerland-based Bluesign takes a holistic approach to environmental responsibility, with a focus on sustainable chemistry throughout the textile value chain. The company says it uses tools like on-site assessments, resource management and chemical inventory verification to ensure that products are made at the highest level of safety for people and planet. In this Q&A, CEO Daniel Rufenacht explains some of the areas his company is focused on, what makes their work so important and why Bluesign is making a concerted push into the promotional products market.

Daniel Rufenacht, Bluesign

Q: What does Bluesign do?
A: We do something very simple: input stream management. That means if you don’t use the unsafe and unsustainable chemicals when you produce a garment, you don’t have to remove them afterward. And the closer the world gets to 2030 and 2050 sustainability goals, the more what we do makes sense.

We started in 2000 with a list of the sustainable chemicals to make production less impactful, and that’s the whole idea. Today, there are big companies making a fortune just by testing if a chemical is in a product. If I’m a garment producer, and I put bad chemicals into my garments, and then I ask someone to test whether it’s in the garment, how stupid, right?

If you go from the beginning in the proper way and take it through the process, at the end you also have a cleaner garment. That’s what Bluesign is doing.

Q: By 2030, every textile product sold in the European Union will be required to have a “digital product passport.” Can you elaborate on what that will mean and how you’re helping brands reach that goal?
A: The EU will be asking for things like a garment’s carbon footprint, waste generation, water consumption, recyclability, durability and repairability. So we’re preparing brands to bring QR codes to customers that will offer traceability and performance of a garment.

We already know their supply chain, but we’re preparing them now with the instruments and technology to show the traceability and performance of an individual garment.

It’s easy to have the performance of the supply chain by facility, but it’s not easy to have it by garment or by batch of garments. You can’t just take your carbon footprint and divide it by the number of garments you make. A black T-shirt is going to be more impactful than a white T-shirt. If you have a print or a heat transfer on it, you’d have a different carbon footprint.

That’s still a big challenge for the whole fashion industry.

Q: How can Bluesign help the promo industry with sustainability?
A: When I talk to my peers in the fashion industry, nobody really knows about the promotional products market, and some people say it’s not useful, but in terms of market share it’s as big as fashion, if not bigger, right? And it’s as important and as impactful, but it’s not so exposed.

We want to extend our services to the whole textile industry, the promotional products industry in particular. I strongly believe there’s a change to be made and that it’s an easy one because the supply chains are bit shorter in promo.

Q: What advice do you have for companies that haven’t focused much on sustainability yet?
A: Sustainability is a journey; it’s not the destination, so you can’t do it overnight. But for me, the company that’s not taking steps toward better production is not a responsible company.

With Bluesign, you become a partner, and we evolve together, and we reach targets together, and we help you to change your chemical management. We help you to reduce your impact and improve your processes. Brands often think it’s expensive, but it’s not expensive because we help you to use less energy and fewer resources. So why should it be more expensive?

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