The facility implements traceability for input materials and manages restricted substance risk in finished products
Version 1 - Last updated
24 Sep 2025
Facilities are required to implement a system of traceability that clearly links finished material to its corresponding input materials and their respective material suppliers.
The facility should:
- Facilities should maintain written Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) describing the traceability process, root cause analysis and corrective action plan. These procedures should clearly define how input material data is captured, recorded and linked with end products.
- The facility should use the MIL to record all relevant information about input materials, including:
- Material type (e.g. polyester, cotton, viscose)
- Material form (e.g. yarn, fabric)
- Supplier details
- The ZDHC MIL should be updated monthly and include batch/lot information linking to the finished product.
- Facilities can utilise existing ERP systems as a best practice to automate and digitise traceability.
- These systems enable:
- Linking material batch numbers with finished materials.
- Tracking of input material suppliers for each finished product.
- Alternatively, physical tracking tools like barcodes or QR codes can be used on material lots and finished products. These codes should be scannable and linked to traceability data stored in the ERP or local systems.
Implement the practice of Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
If a non-conformity is found in the final product for customer-specific or regulatory reasons regarding restricted substances, facilities should implement a root cause analysis (RCA) that includes:
- Trace the affected batch of finished materials back to the exact input material batches used in its production.
- Identify the supplier(s) associated with those input materials.
- Investigate the identified input material batch and associated supplier for:
- Supporting documentation such as self-declarations, test reports and certifications linked to the input batch.
- Root cause i.e potential contamination or intentional use or other factors.
- Supplier's history of compliance and any previous issues.
- Document all findings and conclusions from the RCA process.
- Identify the root cause and possible solutions.
- Document and execute corrective actions to address the specific issue.
- To avoid similar incidents in the future, take preventive steps.