The Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Programme is a collaboration of brands, value chain affiliates and associates committed to eliminating hazardous chemicals from the textile and footwear value chain. These organizations are committed to advancing towards zero discharge of  hazardous chemicals in the value chain to improve the environment and people’s well being, understanding that achieving zero will require time, technology, and innovation.
The discharge of wastewater containing hazardous chemicals could have a significant impact on the environment and human health. In 2015, the ZDHC Programme commissioned a study to better understand the regulatory landscape of wastewater discharge regulations and guidelines across the textile industry. The report of the study – Textile Industry Wastewater Discharge Quality Standards 

Literature Review – found that:

1. Current wastewater regulations are far from requiring zero discharge of hazardous chemicals.

2. Wastewater guidelines published by different brands, as well as amongst multibrand consortia, vary greatly.
The conclusion of the report is that there is a need for uniform, global guidance pertaining to wastewater discharge quality, as well as testing and reporting, to enable a more sustainable industry. 

The purpose of the ZDHC Programme’s Wastewater Guidelines is to define a single, unified expectation concerning wastewater discharge quality that goes beyond regulatory compliance, not only for conventional wastewater parameters, but also for hazardous chemicals.