Performance InCheck Report Ten Questions and Ten Answers

The ZDHC InCheck solution consists of two parts: Performance InCheck report and Verified InCheck report. Previously, the editor compiled common questions about Verified InCheck reports for everyone. For details, please refer to: Verified InCheck Level 1 Q&A | How do suppliers participate in verification? What is the process? The two complement each other. Today, let's learn some knowledge about the Performance InCheck report together.

01. What is a Performance InCheck report?

The ZDHC InCheck report can help suppliers check their chemical inventory based on the ZDHC MRSL (Production Restricted Substance List) on the ZDHC Gateway. The Performance InCheck report is based on the chemical inventory data recorded in the supplier's chemical inventory.

02. What is the purpose of the Performance InCheck report?

☆ Understand the status of chemicals in the supplier's chemical inventory registered in the ZDHC Gateway Chemicals module and certified according to ZDHC MRSL.

Develop improvement measures based on the quantity of chemicals published on the ZDHC gateway and the ZDHC MRSL compliance level of the chemicals.

03. How long does it take to generate a new Performance InCheck report?

We suggest generating a Performance InCheck report once a month to support continuous monitoring and improvement of supplier chemical management.

When the supplier's chemical inventory in the ZDHC gateway reaches a high ZDHC MRSL compliance level, the frequency of generating Performance InCheck reports may be one of the following:

1. On demand generation - meets brand requirements.

2. After the supplier executes the Verified InCheck report and completes corrective actions, it can be generated once or twice a year to improve the ZDHC MRSL compliance of verified inventory.

04.How should suppliers generate Performance InCheck reports?

The Performance InCheck report can only be generated through recognized solution providers. After generating the report on the recognized solution provider platform, your Performance InCheck report will be saved for viewing, downloading, and sharing in your ZDHC Gateway supplier profile.

05. Can suppliers share their Performance InCheck reports with brands/retailers?

Suppliers can share their Performance InCheck reports with their associated brands online on the ZDHC gateway. Suppliers can also share Performance InCheck reports offline with interested stakeholders.

06. What data and information are listed in the Performance InCheck report?

The Performance InCheck report is a document that summarizes the following items in both numerical and graphical form:

☆ The quantity of chemicals uploaded by the supplier in their monthly inventory.

The quantity and percentage of chemical products listed in the ZDHC gateway in this inventory.

The ZDHC MRSL consistency level (current or previous) of the products listed in the ZDHC gateway.

07. Has the data and information in Performance InCheck been verified by external parties?

No, the inventory details uploaded by the supplier for generating Performance InCheck reports have not been verified by a third party. Therefore, it should mainly be used as a tool for suppliers to internally monitor the chemical products in their inventory.

08.What is the difference between Performance InCheck report, Verified InCheck report, and ChemCheck report?

The Performance InCheck report shows suppliers the extent to which their on-site chemical inventory meets ZDHC MRSL. The gateway chemical product inventory list(CIL) uploaded by the supplier will be filtered based on the ZDHC gateway product database to generate an InCheck report.

The Verified InCheck report aims to conduct on-site verification of the Performance InCheck report based on ZDHC's "trust but verify" principle, by a third-party verification agency approved by ZDHC.

The ChemCheck report is a chemical product pass, or even better, the ZDHC MRSL certificate of conformity from the formula designer, which can assure customers that their chemical products have been verified to ZDHC compliance standards. The ChemCheck report is only applicable to public chemical products.

The ChemCheck report contains the following information:

Chemical product summary, including ZDHC MRSL compliance levels and explanations for each level.

☆ Certification Summary and SDS (Safety Data Sheet, Standardized Document containing Occupational Health and Safety Data) Summary, listing the certification and validationstatus of each chemical product.

09.Does the chemical list uploaded in the Performance InCheck report include commercial chemicals?

Commercial chemicals are single substances with well-known chemical structures that are used to create conditions for the process and are not expected to remain on the substrate. Therefore, almost all of these are discharged intowastewater. Suppliers can exclude commodity chemicals from the chemical inventory uploaded to generate Performance InCheck reports until ZDHC develops a framework to include them in the scope of the ZDHC gateway database or implements a strategy to demonstrate that commodity chemicals meet ZDHC MRSL requirements.

Commodity chemicals

Commodity chemicals refer to a single substance or compound with a well-known chemical structure, commonly used to create process conditions such as acidity, alkalinity, oxidation, reduction, and solubilization. Commodity chemicals have high production and low prices, usually without brand names, but their commonly used chemical names (such as acetic acid) are well-known. The chemical structure and purity of two commodity chemicals produced by different manufacturers may be the same and can be used interchangeably. Commercial chemicals are usually sold according to technical specifications (such as purity) and do not have unique/special properties or effects, nor do they require any scientific research during the development process. Usually, commercial chemicals may react during the process (such as sodium hydroxide or sodium bisulfite) or remain in wastewater after the process is completed (such as salt or mirabilite used for active dyeing of cotton fabrics).

10. What is the reason for excluding commodity chemicals from the Performance InCheck report?

To fully understand the supplier's ZDHC MRSL compliance level of chemical inventory, itis important to include all chemicals used by the factory in the chemical inventory list. However, chemicals that are not directly applied or used in production processes (such ashygiene, maintenance, and laboratory chemicals) and commodity chemicals (such as acetic acid, sodium hydroxide, etc.) will not be filled into the ZDHC gateway database to comply with ZDHC MRSL requirements, as collaborating with suppliers of such chemicalsis challenging. This makes it difficult for suppliers to search and purchase commodity chemicals that comply with ZDHC MRSL from the ZDHC gateway and prove their compliance with ZDHC MRSL. ZDHC is currently developing a ZDHC MRSL compliance framework for commodity chemicals, as well as methods for suppliers to demonstrate responsible use of commodity chemicals. This is an ongoing work, and once the framework is released, suppliers can plan actions.