Traceability technology leader FibreTrace has released a free digital traceability solution for the global textiles industry. The solution maps the global textile supply chain from fibre to retail.
- Launched today, the platform provides transparency in one easy-to-use, globally accessible platform with no fees attached, eliminating the barrier to transparency for producers, manufacturers, brands and retailers.
The Catch: The new solution allows up to 100,000 digital audit credits (more than enough to map out a full collection, as the company insists) and is valid until 31 December 2023. From 1 November 2023, free account access will be limited to 500 digital audit credits per annum.
The Context: While policymakers, consumers and investors continue to apply pressure for transparent supply chain mapping, 50% of the world’s largest fashion brands continue to disclose little or no information about their supply chain and only 12% of brands worldwide publish any insights into their raw material suppliers.
- The shift in consumer consumption behaviours and growing demands for greater ethical and environmental responsibility has been a key driver for change.
- About 60% of fashion consumers want more transparency about the production journey of their clothes and more than 40% of consumers surveyed in the US, more than 50% in Europe, and almost 70% in China say they want access to more information about how their clothes were made.
- Transparency has become a priority on political agendas and legislative development from the USA’s FABRIC Act to the UNECE’s The Sustainability Pledge.
What They Said:
The lack of accountability within the textile industry has left the door wide open for social and environmental neglect and misconduct. Brands have an obligation to look at their supply chain, identify issues, and address them. At FibreTrace we believe that transparency shouldn’t cost the earth, so we decided to launch FibreTrace Mapped free of charge in the hope that we can encourage the industry to claim accountability and responsibility for their supply chains and be the change for a better future.
— Shannon Mercer
Chief Executive Officer
FibreTrace
How It Works: Powered by blockchain technology, FibreTrace Mapped provides a digital centralised chain of custody for unlimited users.
- Accessible anywhere, anytime, on any device due to the cloud based software solution, with the functionality to upload order and shipping documentation, and incorporate existing environmental and social compliance credentials.
- The platform is system agnostic and can integrate with various product and data management systems and tools and allows users to set up their company profile, add colleagues, register their own sites, and invite partners across the supply chain.
- FibreTrace Mapped works with any fibre, any material, any certification, any document, any data and any integration, in one intuitive system where all information is protected, private and secure.
- For enhanced traceability, FibreTrace Verified combines physical tracing technology with the digital platform to provide trust, verification and authenticity of fibre.
The Tools: The core of the FibreTrace Verified technology is a patented luminescent pigment that is embedded in raw fibres and is traced, verified and audited in real-time at each step of the global textile supply chain.
- FibreTrace Verified is applicable to cotton, wool, recycled polyester and other synthetics, responsible viscose, linen and is under research and development for application to leather, other bast fibres and beyond.
- FibreTrace Mapped is a digital transparency solution which maps the global textile supply chain from fibre to retail, allowing brands, manufacturers and fibre producers to power transparency across all materials today.
