Overview
The chemicals area evaluates a brand’s efforts to manage, reduce, and eliminate hazardous substances throughout its production processes and, where relevant, its direct operations.
This area is essential because the chemical intensity of consumer industries, particularly fashion and beauty, poses significant risks. Hazardous substances can persist in the environment, bioaccumulate in food chains, and disrupt hormonal systems in wildlife. The goal of the assessment is to distinguish between brands that comply with minimum regulations and those that adopt proactive, industry-leading practices to safeguard the planet and people. The chemicals section reviews a brand’s impact on the environment rather than human health.
Industry verticals: Fashion, Beauty, Services, Retailer
Applicable for: small and large brands. Assessments related to specific chemical practices are relevant only for brands that use certain materials or ingredients, eg leather.
What is assessed?
Across all verticals, the methodology focuses on several core items that demonstrate a brand's commitment to chemical safety.
1. Chemical management policies
The cornerstone of any robust chemical strategy is the use of comprehensive lists to restrict hazardous substances in the production process. For example, a Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL), which is an advanced tool restricting the substances used and discharged during the manufacturing process to protect the environment.
Brands are rewarded for adopting industry-standard lists such as the ZDHC MRSL, which are more reliable than self-authored brand lists that may be less comprehensive.
2. Elimination of priority hazardous chemicals
Good On You looks for specific commitments to eliminate groups of "priority" chemicals known for their high toxicity and environmental persistence. These include:
PFAS/PFCs: used for water and stain-proofing, known as "forever chemicals"
Phthalates: used as plasticisers in PVC and some dyes; can act as hormone disruptors
Alkylphenols: toxic to aquatic life and can cause the feminisation of fish
Heavy metals: such as lead, mercury, and chromium (VI), which are often found in dyes and pigments
3. Progress and disclosure
Brands are assessed on whether they publicly disclose their progress toward achieving their elimination targets, including whether they are on track to meet their deadlines.
Assessments in industry verticals
While the core principles remain consistent, each vertical has elements tailored to its specific chemical impacts.
Fashion
The fashion methodology assesses some specific high-impact manufacturing categories:
Leather tanning: Evaluates efforts to minimise the use of hazardous chemicals like chromium. It rewards the use of vegetable tanning or leather from Leather Working Group (LWG) certified tanneries.
Shoe production (solvent use): Assesses the use of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in adhesives. Brands are rewarded for transitioning from solvent-based glues to water-based options.
Beauty
In the beauty vertical, the assessment focuses on ecotoxicity and microplastics:
Ecotoxicity policy: Brands are evaluated on whether they have mechanisms to assess the biodegradability and environmental safety of rinse-off products
Microplastics and glitter: Whether brands intentionally add plastic particles (eg microbeads, PET-based glitter) in formulations
Reef-safe sunscreen: Rewards the use of non-nano mineral filters (zinc oxide/titanium dioxide) and the avoidance of chemicals like oxybenzone that harm marine ecosystems
Services
For general services, the focus shifts to direct operations. This is particularly relevant for "non-core" categories like dry cleaners, car washes, and hairdressers that use hazardous chemicals as a key input for their service delivery.
Conditional assessments
Brands that use leather and/or shoes are presented with additional questions covering the chemical management of these practices. In beauty, brands that produce sunscreen or exfoliating products are also presented with another set of questions.
Other practices that contribute to the score
Some practices assessed in other sections of the methodology score points within this area. These reflect actions such as certifications or broader business practices that have sustainability implications beyond just this area.
The exact practices that score in this area vary by industry vertical and are described in the articles linked below:
Disclosure and data sources
Good On You primarily relies on a brand’s public website and formal sustainability, CSR, or ESG reports. In addition, for chemicals we reference:
Brands are expected to publish their full RSL and MRSL documents
Data verification: Analysts cross-reference brand claims with third-party databases like Bluesign, ZDHC, and OEKO-TEX to verify certifications and adherence to standards
Relevance for different brands
The methodology acknowledges the different resources and impacts of small and large businesses.
Large brands
Large brands are expected to have formalised, quantified targets for chemical elimination across their entire supply chain. They are scrutinised more heavily on their monitoring and verification mechanisms.
Small brands
Small brands may be rewarded for specific high-impact initiatives, such as using 100% natural, non-toxic dyes.
Best practice and common pitfalls
Best practice principles
Adopting a MRSL to move beyond finished-product safety and address production-stage pollution
Absolute targets: Setting goals to eliminate specific chemicals by a defined date and ensuring all suppliers comply with the brand’s stringent chemicals policy, like a MRSL
Ecotoxicity policy (Beauty only): Having a policy to address the chemical impact on local environments from the use of beauty products such as microbeads
Tracking progress: Using independent audits to verify that suppliers are adhering to chemical policies and tracking a brand’s progress against its policies.
Common pitfalls
Vague statements about being "environmentally conscious" without specific chemical policies
Brands often cite material certifications (like GOTS) as a chemical initiative. While GOTS does limit chemicals, a brand’s initiative must go beyond its material choice to be rewarded separately in the chemical section
Claiming materials are certified without specifying the proportion that’s covered (eg stating it uses LWG certified leather without detailing what percentage of the leather in the brand’s range is actually covered)