The company has been leading the way to become a manufacturer with zero use of hazardous chemicals
Pratibha Syntex, a vertically integrated, sustainability-oriented manufacturer of knitted textile products, has recently announced the successful completion of the foundational level of ‘Supplier to Zero’ headed by Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals Foundation on September 6, 2021. Driven by its strong progressive vision, Pratibha Syntex is committed to creating relationships across the value chain, bringing together over 35,000 farmers, 10,000 employees and renowned global apparel brands from over 20 countries. “We have the capacity to produce over 22,000 tonnes of lint, 28,000 tonnes of yarn, 10,000 tonnes of fabric and more than 6 million garment pieces annually,” the management states.
The company has all the certifications required for sustainable business practices, including Zero Liquid Discharge, ISO 14001, SA 8000, Fair Trade, WRAP, OCS, GOTS, C2C Gold and global recycling standards such as BCI and Blue Sign. Quoting German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld who said that trendy is the last stage before tacky, Pratibha Syntex’s management says, “It is said that fashion is an ideology, a way to express oneself. People run after fast fashion to keep up with the fashion trends they see online. It is difficult to change the mindset of a generation that believes in the virtual presence of something so temporary. To fulfil this never-ending demand, in many countries – particularly the developing nations – manufacturers use harmful chemicals.”
“To deal with this, the NGO Greenpeace challenged the respective industries to cut down on 11 of the most harmful and toxic chemical groups and that is when Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Foundation was created by the textile, apparel and chemical industries to remove and replace these toxins from the work cycle and environment,” it adds. ZDHC started focusing not only on consumers but also workers and environment of the production countries. It created a list called the ‘Restricted Substance List’ followed by the ‘Manufacturer Restricted Substance List’. ZDHC ensures proper chemical management by training the stakeholders in sustainable chemical management.
The ‘Roadmap to Zero’ is a programme by ZDHC to support the supply chain in order to get rid of toxins. It works on all the three aspects of the manufacturer and supplier, which covers input, process and output. This programme ensures workers’ safety and reduces environmental impact. ‘Supplier to Zero’ is a roadmap for sustainable chemical management leadership for a supplier or manufacturer. “It gives us immense gratification in declaring that we are carrying out sustainable business practices to ensure the health of our people as well as our planet. We are diligently moving towards the second level that is progressive,” the management adds.
At Pratibha Syntex, passion, innovation and science are the factors that the team strongly believes in. “We have a remarkable group of people who work meticulously in order to achieve the goals of the company. It is a blessing to have a strong team with strong individual vision to make the world a better place. With such a team, Pratibha Syntex has been leading the way to become a manufacturer with zero use of hazardous chemicals,” the management states. Apart from manufacturing cotton, fibres, fabrics and apparel, Pratibha Syntex is also engaged in social initiatives to generate employment for rural women. “Our mission is to provide the world with sustainable high-quality goods through clean technologies, continuous innovations and ecological designs,” the management says.
