Chemicals & ZDHC
From chemical inputs to wastewater outputs.
Approved at the input and at the output.
ZDHC MRSL V3.1 certification, Levels 1 and 2 · ZDHC approved wastewater laboratory
Tti Labs offers a full-spectrum chemical management solution for regulatory compliance and supply-chain risk intelligence.
Tti Labs gives testing, certification and wastewater assurance for the dyes and auxiliaries used in textile, leather, synthetic and polymer production. One group can cover a fabric test, a factory inspection and a ZDHC chemical certificate for the dye supplier.
Division 05 at a glance
PNAC LAB 022 Rev. 09 · ZDHC MRSL V3.1
V3.1
ZDHC MRSL certification, Levels 1 and 2
67
Accredited rows in scope groups marked ZDHC
20
ZDHC MRSL substance groups for untreated wastewater
5
ZDHC supplier types covered, incl. ZLD
11
Instrument families
Full-spectrum chemical management
Tti Labs tests dyes, chemical auxiliaries and the manufacturing chemicals of textiles, leather, polymers and synthetics. Particle size and paint testing complete the division.
Dyes & chemical auxiliaries
Reactive, disperse, direct, vat, acid, basic and specialty dyes; surfactants, detergents, finishing agents, softeners and lubricants.
All dyes: reactive, disperse, direct, vat, acid, basic and specialty dyes
Chemical auxiliaries: surfactants, detergents, finishing agents, softeners and lubricants
Leather chemicals: tanning, finishing, waterproofing and coatings
Polymers & synthetics: auxiliaries used in plastics, coatings and man-made fibres
Particle size: sand, granules, polymers and chemicals
Paint & coatings: oil-based and water-based; lead in paint to CPSC-CH-E1003-09.1
Inputs we test
Pretreatment chemicals
Dyeing & finishing agents
Detergents & cleaners
Industrial chemicals
Biocidal products
MRSL certification
Cleaner inputs, safer outputs.
Tti Labs offers ZDHC MRSL V3.1 certification support to chemical formulators at Levels 1 and 2. Each certificate rests on three checks under ZDHC MRSL V3.1.
Analytical testing
Screening
Safety Data Sheet (SDS) review
A chemical conforms when it contains no substance listed on the ZDHC MRSL above the set limit.
Tti Labs certifies chemical formulators at Level 1, across textiles, leather, polymers and synthetics.
Chemical management
MRSL certification complements ZDHC wastewater testing for end-to-end assurance.
Chemical inventory audit & certification: audit of inventories, MRSL adherence
Material compliance & RSL/MRSL screening
ZDHC green chemical management
Supplier mapping, Tier 1 to Tier 3
Wastewater & sludge
Tti Labs helps suppliers manage the complex chemical loads in their wastewater, from ZLD verification to trace-level detection of hazardous substances.
Every discharge type, including ZLD
Direct discharge: treated in the supplier’s own effluent plant, then discharged to land, municipal sewers or water bodies.
Indirect, with pretreatment: treated on site, then sent to a central effluent treatment plant (CETP).
Indirect, without pretreatment: sent to a CETP with no treatment on site.
Zero Liquid Discharge: no industrial wastewater leaves the site as liquid.
Suppliers test in the October and April cycles.
PFAS and chromium VI screening
Total fluorine by CIC, targeted PFAS, and chromium VI in chemicals.
TOF is a screen: one total. Targeted PFAS methods then name individual substances.
Accredited total fluorine: inorganic and organic fluorine to ASTM D7359, EN 14582 and EN 17813 (Tti/INORG/SOP-22), on PNAC LAB 022.
PFAS in articles: ISO 23702-1:2023, CEN/TS 15968:2010 and EN 17681:2025.
PFAS in wastewater: DIN 38407-42:2011.
Chromium VI in chemicals: Tti/INORG/SOP-23, ion chromatography.
The ZDHC MRSL V3.1 restricts all PFAS, not only the species listed in V2.0.
EU requirements
What the EU asks of textile chemistry.
Entry 43, azo colourants: listed aromatic amines above 30 mg/kg (0.003% by weight). (EC) No 552/2009
Entry 46a, nonylphenol ethoxylates: NPE at 0.01% by weight or more in textiles washed in water, after 3 February 2021. (EU) 2016/26
Entry 72, CMR substances in textiles: from 1 November 2020; for example formaldehyde 75 mg/kg. (EU) 2018/1513
Entry 79, PFHxA and related substances: clothing, related accessories and footwear from 10 October 2026; 25 ppb for PFHxA and its salts. (EU) 2024/2462
Tti Labs tests and reports what it finds. It does not decide whether a product falls inside or outside a regulation.
Start from the sample, find the test.
Chemical inputs, tested
Dyes, solvents & organics
Test
Method
Disperse dyes
DIN 54231:2022-09 · LC-MS
Amines from azo colourants
ISO 14362-1 & -3:2017
Total aniline
ISO 14362-1:2017
Quinoline
DIN 54231:2022
Phthalates (plasticizers)
ISO 14389
Bisphenols A, B, S, F
ISO 11936:2023
Organotin compounds
ISO 16179:2025
AP & APEO
EN ISO 18254-1:2016
Organic solvents (DMAC, DMFa, NEP, NMP)
ISO/TS 16189 · USEPA 5021A · GC-MS
Halogenated solvents
USEPA 8260D
Glycols, metals, fluorine & PFAS
Test
Method
Glycols / glycol ethers
USEPA 8270E
Siloxane
TEGEWA method
Chlorophenols
DIN 50009:2021 · EN ISO 17070 · GC-MS
Chlorinated paraffins
ISO 22818:2021
Heavy metals in chemicals
Tti/INORG/SOP-008a, acid digestion · ICP · AAS
Chromium VI in chemicals
Tti/INORG/SOP-23 · IC
Total fluorine (inorganic & organic)
ASTM D7359 · EN 14582 · EN 17813 · CIC
PFAS in articles
ISO 23702-1:2023
PFAS in wastewater
DIN 38407-42 · BS EN 12673 · LC-MS/MS · GC-MS
Aligned with ZDHC MRSL v3.1, EU REACH, Prop 65, CPSIA, Bluesign and OEKO-TEX. The methods are rows on PNAC scope LAB 022 Rev. 09 (ISO/IEC 17025).
The MRSL, group by group
Tables 1A–1J
Group
Method
1A · Alkylphenols & their ethoxylates
ISO 18254-1 mod.
1B · Antimicrobials & biocides
ISO 16186:2021 · ISO 13365-1
1C · Chlorinated paraffins
ISO 22818:2021
1D · Chlorobenzenes & chlorotoluenes
EN 17137:2024
1E · Chlorophenols
EPA 8270 E · DIN 50009:2021
1F · N,N-dimethylformamide
ISO/TS 16189 · USEPA 5021A
1G · Dyes: carcinogenic or equivalent concern
No group-named row
1H · Dyes: disperse (allergenic)
DIN 54231:2022-09
1I · Dyes: navy blue colourant
Not tested in wastewater
1J · Flame retardants
ISO 22032:2006
Tables 1K–1T
Group
Method
1K · Glycols & glycol ethers
USEPA 8270E
1L · Halogenated solvents
USEPA 8260D
1M · Organotin compounds
ISO 17353:2004 · ISO 16179:2025
1N · Other: AEEA, bisphenol A, quinoline, thiourea
Tti/ORG/SOP-46 · DIN 54231
1O · Per- & polyfluorinated chemicals
DIN 38407-42:2011
1P · Phthalates
ISO 18856:2004 · USEPA 8270 E
1Q · Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
EPA 8270 D, E
1R · Amines from azo colourants
ISO 14362-1 & 3 mod.
1S · UV absorbers
USEPA 8270 · ISO 24040:2022
1T · Volatile organic compounds
USEPA 8260D
ZDHC lists twenty MRSL substance groups for untreated wastewater; 18 have a named row on the PNAC scope. Group names from the ZDHC Wastewater Guidelines (September 2024), Tables 1A–1T, shortened. Methods from PNAC LAB 022 Rev. 09, pp. 6 and 13–15.
Discharged wastewater, parameter by parameter
Conventional parameters and anions · Table 3
Parameter
Method
pH
APHA 4500 H+ B
Temperature difference
APHA 2550 B
Colour, 436, 525 and 620 nm
ISO 7887 B
Persistent foam
Physical
Ammonium nitrogen
USEPA 350.1
AOX
Tti/WTL/SOP-037
BOD5
APHA 5210 B
COD
APHA 5220 B & D
Dissolved oxygen
APHA 4500 O G
Oil and grease
APHA 5520 B
Total phenols (phenol index)
APHA 5530C
Total chlorine
APHA 4500 G
Total dissolved solids
APHA 2540 C
Total nitrogen
USEPA 351.2
Total phosphorus
ISO 6878
Total suspended solids
APHA 2540 D
Chloride
APHA 4500 Cl B
Cyanide, total
APHA 4500E
Sulphate
APHA 4500 SO4 E
Sulphide
APHA 4500 D
Sulphite
APHA 4500 C
Heavy metals · Table 2
Metals row on the scope
Method
Heavy metals, 16 elements
APHA 3030, 3111, 3120 · EPA 6010C · ICP, FAAS
Total heavy metals in wastewater, 16 elements
EPA 3050 B · USEPA 200.8 · EPA 6020 A · Tti/WTL/SOP-039
Chromium VI, wastewater
ISO 18724:2025
Table 2 metals: antimony, arsenic, cadmium, chromium VI, total chromium, cobalt, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, silver, zinc, barium, selenium and tin. Barium, selenium and tin are sampled and reported only. Limits are not printed: they differ by level, and between textiles and leather. Methods from PNAC LAB 022 Rev. 09, pp. 13–15, scope groups marked ZDHC.
Sludge, tested by where it goes
Sludge methods on the PNAC scope
Test
Method
Total heavy metals in sludge, 14 elements
EPA 3050 B · USEPA 200.8 · EPA 6020 A · Tti/WTL/SOP-039
Chromium VI, sludge
EPA 3060a · EPA 7196A · Tti/CHEM/SOP-20a
Total solids (%)
USEPA 160.3
Paint filter test
EPA 9095 B
pH value · cyanide
APHA 4500 H+ B · APHA 4500E
Faecal coliform
APHA 9221E
What the result means
Result
What follows
A metal above its threshold value
ZDHC asks for a leachate test for that metal
5% solids or less
High moisture: ZDHC expects drying or dewatering
Paint filter test
Whether sludge is fit for transport and management
MRSL substances in sludge
The supplier checks its chemical inventory and replaces the source
ZDHC names seven disposal pathways for sludge, A to G; the pathway sets which tests apply. The 14 elements: Pb, Cd, As, Ag, Sb, Se, Ni, Zn, Sn, Hg, Co, Cr, Cu, Ba. Leachate testing does not appear on the PNAC scope.
The instruments behind the data
Instrument platforms
Instrument
Use
HPLC
RSL and chemical analysis; dye identification.
LC-MS/MS
Triple and single quadrupole; PFAS, bisphenols and carcinogenic dyes from 2018.
GC suite
GC-MS, HS-GC-MS, GC-EI/CI, GC-FID: VOCs, RSL substances, residual solvents.
GC-MS-MS · new 2025
Triple quadrupole; enhanced precision for complex matrices.
ICP-OES
Multi-element heavy metal analysis.
ICP-MS · new 2025
Ultra-trace heavy metals at ppb/ppt sensitivity.
AAS
Heavy metals; trace element quantification.
IC / CIC
Chromium VI to EN ISO 17075-2; PFAS/TOF via CIC.
FTIR
Material identification.
Milestones in chemical testing
Year
Milestone
2009
Accredited heavy metals and inorganic laboratory
2011
Chromatography laboratory: chemical analysis for regulatory compliance
2017
Environmental laboratory: EPA-approved; wastewater and industrial effluents
2018
LC-MS/MS: PFAS, bisphenols, carcinogenic dyes
2023
In-house methods: emerging substances incl. PFAS and bisphenols
2025
CIC laboratory: accredited TOF testing
Certified, accredited & approved
ZDHC MRSL V3.1 certification support, Levels 1 and 2
ZDHC approved wastewater laboratory, approval V1 valid to 30 November 2026
ISO/IEC 17025 accredited testing laboratory, PNAC LAB 022
ISO/IEC 17020 accredited inspection body, PNAC IB-006 (Tti Inspections Pvt Ltd)
PNAC is a signatory to the Global ACI MRA (formerly ILAC MRA)
EPA Punjab approved water, wastewater and environmental testing laboratory
U.S. CPSC accepted: lead, flammability and phthalates
544
Accredited methods
600+
Samples tested a day
3
Days, standard turnaround
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Division 05 · Chemical Testing & ZDHC
Dyes & chemical auxiliaries