Audience:
Open industry. All apparel and footwear industry professionals, regardless of AAFA membership, are encouraged to participate.
Description:
Hazardous CMR solvents continue to play a role in textile and footwear manufacturing, particularly in coating, laminating, printing, and finishing processes upstream in the supply chain. While their risks are well documented, managing them effectively remains challenging due to legacy processes, performance requirements, and limited visibility beyond Tier 1 suppliers.
This webinar provides a practical overview of how solvent risks enter textile supply chains, why traditional downstream controls are often insufficient, and what effective management looks like at the process and system level. The session examines the importance of substitution as a priority, the role of process control where substitution is not yet feasible, and the need for shared responsibility and collaboration across the supply chain to enable long-term readiness.
Designed for brands, manufacturers, and suppliers, the webinar aims to build a common understanding of solvent-related risks and support more consistent, credible approaches to chemical management across global supply chains.
Attendees of this webinar will learn:
- To recognize the role of hazardous CMR solvents in textile and footwear manufacturing and understand their key health and environmental impacts.
- To identify the textile processes where hazardous solvents are commonly used and understand why their phase-out remains challenging in certain applications.
- Practical approaches to managing hazardous solvents across the supply chain.
Speaker:
Sumit Sarker
Sustainable Textile Expert, bluesign Academy
bluesign
Sumit is a chemical engineer and environmental sustainability professional with over a decade of experience working with leading apparel brands and textile manufacturing facilities worldwide. His expertise in chemical management and resource efficiency comes from specialized education and extensive auditing experience across various global regions. Currently, he serves as an Expert at bluesign Academy, focusing on sustainability initiatives within the textile industry.
AAFA Host:
Conor O’Brien
Sustainability Policy Specialist
AAFA
Conor O'Brien joined AAFA's policy team in 2024 as its Sustainability Policy Coordinator after completing his Masters in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University. Prior to joining AAFA, Conor worked for several years with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Boston, where he engaged with RCRA compliance, state coordination, climate adaptation planning, and environmental justice application. Initially trained as a chemist at Princeton University, Conor combines scientific research with policy analysis and application to provide holistic approaches to sustainable resource usage in pursuit of a more circular economy. Conor supports the work of the AAFA Environmental Committee and AAFA Product Safety Council by engaging with public and private stakeholders on issues of sustainability, product safety, and chemical management germane to the apparel and footwear industry.
Unable to join on March 25?
Register for the webinar to receive an email containing the direct link to access the recording of the webinar and the PDF version of the presentation. The email will be sent 1-3 business days after the webinar.
CONTACT | QUESTIONS
Stephanie Paendong