Specialty chemicals company Stahl will open a new Center of Excellence in Parets del Vallès in Spain next month. The center focuses on sustainable performance coatings solutions for apparel and home furnishing, leather chemicals, as well as polymer technologies for a variety of industries. It will be the place where Stahl experts work side-by-side with partners to share knowledge and showcase Stahl’s future-proof solutions, innovations and technologies.

Conscious fashion becomes the norm

The fashion industry has always been a breeding ground for real talent. Designers using their talent and imagination to conceive materials and innovative solutions that go beyond what any of us deemed possible. Innovations that not only change entire collections, but also change our collective view on the impact fashion has on our society. The more we love fashion, the more we realize that fashion has a profound effect on how we live, interact with each other and feel about ourselves. Our choices have become more conscious and we expect more from the brands we love and support.

Stahl supports leather goods, apparel and footwear brands to become more sustainable. The opening of the Center of Excellence in Spain is a fine example of how Stahl uses and shares its knowledge and expertise to develop tailor-made, future-proof solutions. In this center, Stahl has invested in state-of-the-art equipment for coatings solutions for the apparel and footwear industry, polymer technology and leather chemicals.

Solutions exceeding ZDHC goals

The innovations of designers and fashion brands give birth to new sustainable materials, innovative ways of re-using materials and creating ways to improve the production process of materials that we already know and love. The fashion industry has collectively set a goal to ban all hazardous chemicals from being used in the fashion, accessories and footwear industries. These guidelines are known as the “Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals” (ZDHC).

A key component of the ZDHC Program is the manufacturing restricted substance list (MRSL), a usage ban on specific chemicals. With decades of experience in chemical innovation, Stahl takes its role in the supply chain very serious. In 2016, the company became an affiliate of the ZDHC Foundation and officially joined them in their commitment to eliminate these substances from the value chain by 2020. The applications and testing facilities in the Center of Excellence in Parets del Vallès enable Stahl to develop solutions that meet and exceed even the most critical and specific sustainability demands, without compromising on performance and style.

For example, in order to help tanners meet and exceed the ZDHC goals by 2020, Stahl offers the Stahl Neo portfolio for leather finish. This complete portfolio enables tanners to produce the full range of leather articles in a qualitative, compliant and sustainable way. In addition, Stahl’s portfolio for synthetics contains a broad range of bio-and water-based solutions that are DMF(A)-free, VOC-free and solvent-free like the STAHL EVO portfolio.

Stahl continues to innovate and invest in sustainable solutions so it has the right technology available long before the changes in the market create a demand for it. Watch the video below to learn more: