When talking about traceability, the first thing that comes to mind is that this refers exclusively to the Food&Beverage industry, where marks or indications of origin are mandatory.
Traceability, on the other hand, has become a very important issue for the Fashion&Luxury world, where the industries in the sector are increasingly attentive to a path toward sustainability that is not just a “façade.”
But how do you trace a clothing item? And why is it important?
Traceability of the item of clothing refers to a method that allows the consumer to know all the way that product has come before reaching his or her hands. When we talk about garments, we are referring to all the parts that are necessary to create the item: raw materials, fibers, components, linked to their origin, but also the manufacturing companies that helped make it.
Therefore, knowing the complete backstory of a garment is crucial because the first to benefit from it is the customer.
Yet it is clear that the fashion industry needs to keep focusing on sustainability topics and the ethical practices of its workers and suppliers, as consumers are becoming more and more aware of this aspect.
By implementing traceability, brands and retailers can ensure that their products are produced responsibly and sustainably, avoiding exploitative practices and environmental damage.
According to a Bof article from 2022, “The Traceability Tech aiming to unlock a more sustainable industry” [ref. McKinsey&Company], the path taken by fashion brands is a required path from which there is no turning back. According to figures, more than fifty percent of fashion company executives and top managers claim that traceability will be one of the top five priorities in reducing production chain emissions.
Thanks to traceability, consumers are empowered to make better-informed choices by understanding the origins of the products they buy and the impact they have on workers, communities and the environment.
As mentioned, traceability is now one of the main quality requirements in the production processes planning for fashion companies.
Therefore, the subject of management, traceability and genealogy of procured materials is supported by the installation of MES systems within companies in the industry as they allow all production information to be monitored and tracked.
The sedApta MES system automatically collects and monitors data and information in an integrated manner enabling production activities within a company to be managed, controlled and optimized, starting from the consolidated order to the loading of finished goods into the warehouse to schedule their distribution to sales channels.
At a time when people can buy clothes online from anywhere in the world, it is essential to have a document with clear information in a smart format. The Digital Product Passport is a turning point on the path to an increasingly eco-friendly and digitized fashion industry.
The Digital Product Passport (DPP) will be a key element of the garments of the near future involving Italy, Europe and the United Kingdom from 2025.
What we expect is that each product will be accompanied on its commercial journey, which starts from the manufacturer and ends in the buyer’s home, by a label with digitally readable data that can give an understanding of the garment’s degree of eco-sustainability, thus the type of materials, the processes by which it was made, recyclability, transportation, and useful green initiatives to offset the impact on the environment.
Thanks to more than 25 years of experience in the manufacturing world, with scheduling and Shop Floor Control modules as well as Field Data Acquisition, IoT, labeling and Industrial Automation, the sedApta traceability service created for the Food&Beverage world and then verticalized for the Fashion&Luxury sector, allows to manage at the executive level all the information for traceable materials.
Service Features:
Thanks to the sedApta capability to collect material traceability information (whether from internal or external production) through a single traceability service, it guarantees the integrity of the data, its uniformity and its collection and transmission, to feed the systems that will ensure access to this data by the end consumer. By tracking the origin and production methods of these materials, brands can ensure that they come from sustainable sources, are free of harmful chemicals, and meet ethical standards.