Signatory Machine Manufacturers

For many years, sustainable chemical management in the apparel, textile, leather and footwear industry has focused primarily on chemical formulators, suppliers and brands. While these actors are undeniably essential, one critical stakeholder has often remained underrepresented in the conversation: machine manufacturers.

This is beginning to change and it must.

At ZDHC, we are encouraged to count machine manufacturers among our Signatories. Their participation marks an important evolution in how the industry approaches chemical management, recognising that process design and equipment innovation are as influential as the chemicals themselves.

Machines Shape Chemical Outcomes

Every chemical input is ultimately expressed through a process. Temperature control, liquor ratios, dosing accuracy, agitation, pressure, energy efficiency and water reuse are not abstract parameters: they are determined by the machines on the factory floor.

Well-designed machinery can:

• Reduce the total volume of chemicals required
  
  
• Enable lower-temperature or water-efficient processes
  
  
• Improve chemical uptake and fixation
  
  
• Minimise residual chemicals in effluent
  
  
• Increase process consistency and reproducibility
  
  

In contrast, outdated or poorly optimised equipment can undermine even the most carefully selected chemical formulations. Sustainable chemistry cannot reach its full potential without machines that are designed to deliver it.

At a time when transparency and measurable performance are essential, engineering plays a decisive role. Sustainability claims must reflect real process conditions and verifiable data.

Lafer sees its participation in ZDHC as an opportunity to collaborate across the value chain. When chemistry and engineering work together, improvements in one stage of production can generate positive effects throughout the system.

- Carl Bengelsdorff, Lafer

Enabling ZDHC Conformance at Scale

As expectations around chemical management continue to evolve across global supply chains, manufacturing facilities face increasing pressure to meet conformance requirements efficiently and consistently.

In this context, the role of machine manufacturers becomes more visible. The way machines are designed, automated and digitally controlled has a direct influence on how consistently chemicals are applied, how stable processes remain and how reliably data can be generated for chemical and wastewater management. Equipment that enables precise dosing, stable operating conditions and integrated monitoring can make it easier for facilities to meet MRSL requirements.

This moves chemical management upstream—from corrective action to preventive design.

From Optional to Essential Stakeholders

The transition to sustainable chemical management is not only about replacing hazardous substances; it is about re-engineering systems, machines.

As regulatory expectations rise, supply chains become more transparent, and brands demand measurable impact, machine manufacturers are no longer optional participants in the sustainability conversation. They are essential partners in delivering scalable, credible and lasting change.

A Welcome Step Forward

The inclusion of machine manufacturers within the ZDHC Signatory Community is more than symbolic. It reflects a growing understanding that achieving Roadmap to Zero ambitions requires alignment across chemicals, processes and technology.

By bringing machine manufacturers into the fold, we strengthen the industry’s ability to move from intent to implementation and from isolated improvements to systemic transformation.

Sustainable chemical management is not achieved by chemistry alone. It is built into the machines that power our industry.

Lafer 

Lafer S.p.A. was the first machine maker to join the ZDHC Signatory Textile Machinery Manufacturer category in August 2024. The company designs fabric finishing solutions, including closed-loop waterless de-oiling and liquid ammonia systems developed to reduce water use, waste, and emissions.

Lafer focuses on practical engineering solutions that support cleaner and more efficient textile processing.

www.laferspa.com

MCS Group

MCS SpA heads a mechanical-textile group founded in the early 1960s by Gino Chiappini and Angelo Cagnazzo. Established in 1963 with the production of rope dyeing machines (jet and overflow), the company gradually expanded its range to include open-width dyeing machines and continuous washing and preparation ranges. Companies within the groups include;

• Termoelettronica: Designs and manufactures automatic dosing systems and software control solutions for managing production processes, delivering integrated and customised technologies for industry.
• Europizzi: A commission dye-house and chemical auxiliary and cosmetic base producer, as well as serving as the group’s application laboratory for testing and developing new technological solutions.
• Euro-D: The group’s environmental platform, specialising in the treatment of industrial wastewater and liquid waste. It provides purification services through chemical-physical and biological processes, ensuring efficient and compliant solutions for companies, including through dedicated and affiliated treatment facilities.

Today, innovation is driven through its internal R&D centre, the Blue Innovation Area.

www.mcsgroup.it

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