Headquartered in Montebello Vicentino, SYN-BIOS SPA is a leading company in the chemical sector, that has been supporting tanning enterprises worldwide for nearly thirty-five years and that keeps on investing its resources in sustainability-oriented activities
In the post-pandemic period, SYN-BIOS SPA – chemical enterprise based in Montebello Vicentino (Vicenza province), that, for nearly thirty-five years, has been supplying tanning companies worldwide -, has found a new ace up its sleeve, that is, the third level (charts feature the Roman numeral III as well) of the ZDHC Certification (acronym standing for Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals).
The path undertaken by the Gastaldello family, – led by Daniele, who founded the firm in 1988 and for a decade has been relying on the support of his son Enrico -, aims at steadily investing resources in sustainability-driven projects, a mission that, for well over a year, has been resulting in the manufacturing of a new range of water-based microdispersed pigments called “METAL-FREE”. It is a cutting-edge strategy, developed to produce hides in the finishing phase, in full compliance wtih the directions included in the UNI EN 15987:2015 regulation: “Animal hide converted into leather, whose total content of all tanning metals in leather (chromium, aluminium, titanium, zirconium, iron) is less than or equal to 0.1%.”
“The third level of the ZDHC Certification,” explained Enrico Gastaldello, “encompasses the firm as a whole, featuring the monitoring of suppliers, processes and products. We have chosen to fully embrace this project, because, in this way, we can meet the demands of renowned brands and customers, and the latter can, in turn, fulfill their partners’ requirements: therefore, it has become a foregone conclusion. As a company, we have already attained the quality and environment certifications and we comply with fairly strict private specifications, thus keeping a step ahead of regulatory obligations. We believe that this is a strategic investment that places the products in a specific quality range, related to the concept of circular economy, to environmental safeguard and to complete life cyle (LCA, Life Cycle Assessment), from the selection of raw materials to their use in the manufacturing process, up to the end consumer, in a recognized, traced path. The information and training standards have been improved at all levels, so as to guarantee a better understanding when it comes to the application of a safer chemistry. As a matter of fact, the firm must manage properly the articles throughout the processing cycle, from the storage of raw materials, to their handling during the manufacturing phase as well as to wastewater discharge, and must have a proactive attitude concerning the replacement of hazardous chemicals.”
At the core of this mission, there is a precise entrepreneurial choice: “We took our time,” confirmed Enrico, “in order to ponder the matter thoroughly and, in the end, we understood that the issue was worth the risk. In view of the new market challenges, first-rate quality can be guaranteed only via the so-called self-certified supply chain, a pivotal requierment given that leather goods’ end consumers are very attentive. The articles they pick, such as a pair of shoes or a couch for the whole family, are no longer chosen randomly, but with a keen eye for their eco-friendliness.”
The path that has led SYN-BIOS SPA to the attainment of the ZDHC Level III Certification was long and expensive. “It took many months of work,” stated SYN-BIOS SPA’ owner, “a fairly demanding proecedure, even from an economic point of view, given that we were under the obligation to specifically put one of our graduate technicians in charge of the whole process. And let’s not forget the equally expensive costs for the analysis and the other operations required by the specifications and carried out with external laboratories. After all, one should not simply assume that this is an easy goal; potential mistakes can jeopardize the whole project. A suitable staff and skilled professionals with the right requirements are needed, figures that, thanks to our forward-thinking attitude, we train regularly. We relied on specialized personnel, mainly chemistry graduates, and we managed to achieve our purpose.”
In order to further delve into other aspects of the project, we interviewed Giulia Fontana, for over twenty years technical director of the Montebello-based enterprise, who provided us with significant details. “SYN-BIOS SPA’s constant, real commitment to the development of low-impact products that do not harm either the environment or human health,” explained Giulia Fontana, “earned its official recognition last September with the ZDHC LEVEL III Certification. It is the tangible evidence of the fact that the firm gives to the clientele the opportunity to manufacture leather goods in line with the strictest specifications, without discharging hazardous substances in wastewater. An ambitious goal that now can be achieved thanks to SYN-BIOS SPA articles, a significant breakthrough when it comes to the promotion of sustainability in the tanning sector.”
As for this virtuous project environment-wise, there is a key step that has resulted in a change of direction. “The Detox campaign, launched by Greenpeace,” stated Giulia Fontana, “was developed a few years ago to encourage prominent fashion brands to work in synergy with their suppliers, so as to foster a sustainable production chain, as well as to eliminate from garments and the environment polluting, toxic substances. ZDHC is one of the outcomes of said campaign, as it takes up the global challenge and provides a plan that aims at markedly reducing the amount of hazardous chemicals of the whole textile, footwear and tanning supply chains.”
“The achievement of the ZDHC Level III Certification,” added Giulia Fontana, “has given us the chance to reach renowned fashion brands (apparel, footwear, accessories) that demand the compliance with parameters featured in the MRSL list – acronym standing for Manufacturing Restricted Substances List -, that is, a list of products whose use is forbidden in manufacturing processes. MRSL conformance levels range from 0 to 3: more specifically, higher the level, higher is the chemicals’ compliance with the requirements. The participation to the ZDHC programme goes beyond the traditional strategies concerning chemical restrictions applied solely to finished articles (Product Restricted Substances List – PRSL) and, therefore, it succeeds in ensuring a more effective protection for workers, for local communities and the environment.”
For years, SYN-BIOS SPA has been implementing a strategy aimed at eliminating harmful substances, to both human health and the environment, from its production cycle. A goal that will be pursued in the future as well, in order to manufacture articles that can be sold worldwide. “Said certification,” pointed out the technical director of the Veneto-based company, “falls into step with our way to conceive tomorrow’s chemistry, with a more and more thorough selection of raw materials, so as to develop products that are fully compliant with the strictest regulations when it comes to the management of hazardous substances. That means that we have already taken the right path and the achievement of this objective has found its climax in the ZDHC Certification. Those interested in joining the ZDHC programme or in becoming a qualified supplier to a brand supporting this project, must implement a chemicals’ management system and then successfully pass an audit.”
ZDHC PROJECT: STEPS AND CONFORMANCE LEVELS
The third level of the ZDHC project entails a well-defined process and precise rules, as explained by Giulia Fontana, SYN-BIOS SPA’ technical director, starting with the following list of phases that must be respected in order to properly carry out all the required activities:
1. Compliance with regulations;
2. Knowledge of the raw materials used;
3. Constant assessment of chemical risk;
4. Correct qualification of suppliers;
5. Implementation of environmental operating procedures as well as of chemicals management processes;
6. Steady training of human resources;
7. Commitment of the R&D department to replace the substances included in the MRLS list.
Worth mentioning also the fact that a chemical product can attain three different conformance levels. The superior levels are synonymous with the presence of more data concerning the article and its formulation, as well as with the constant absence of substances included in the ZDHC programme’s MRSL. Every couple of years, the certification is renewed and the key goal is to keep up with the ZDHC’s guidelines, the latter demanding the compliance with the limits set for substances subject to restriction featured in a constantly updated list. As a mtter of fact, it is not an unchanging catalogue, but rather a steady evolution, so as to support the use of increasingly safer chemicals both in terms of human health and of environmental safeguard. The implementation of this protocol is a tangible evidence of a firm’s utmost commitment to chemicals management.
In this case, the R&D department plays a key role in the adoption of the ZDHC programme, because the main purpose is to eliminate hazardous substances, by replacing them with equally high-performance ones with a lower impact on human health and the environment. R&D technicians are set to put a lot of effort into this initiative, not only when it comes to the compliance with ZDHC and its MRSL, but also to the development of eco-friendly solutions – a commitment that goes beyond the mere purpose of retaining the certification. The core mission is to be a step ahead, actively fostering innovation, without focusing solely on maintaining the status quo of products’ conformance.