The Fashion Traceability News Thread #107
GO TRACE - More Traceability, for Responsible Fashion
Training fashion professionals for Digital Product Passport, traceability, and compliance.
Dear GO TRACE Community,
Welcome to the 107th edition of our GO TRACE Newsletter.
More and more fashion brands are rolling out Digital Product Passports (DPPs) ahead of regulatory deadlines, signalling a shift towards greater transparency. Triumph’s latest move to embed QR codes in their Amourette bras is one example of how brands are preparing for what will soon become an industry standard. With the DPP market set to grow rapidly, and supply chain reporting still a challenge, early adopters are positioning themselves as leaders in traceability.
I now leave you to discover the latest news and updates in the world of fashion sustainability and traceability.
Catherine Lomonaco Membré
Founder, GO TRACE
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🌟 INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Fashion brands are increasingly integrating transparency, sustainable materials, and ethical labor practices into their operations to meet consumer demand, leveraging technologies like blockchain and certification standards to build trust and drive long-term value.
JD Group has been named to the CDP Climate A List 2024 for its commitment to climate transparency, strategic efforts in carbon reduction, and participation in global sustainability initiatives like RE100 and SBTi validation.
🚀 BRAND INITIATIVES
Article in Polish
Triumph has introduced Digital Product Passports, promoting transparency and challenging fast fashion. Customers can access a product's full history via QR codes in stores, starting with the iconic Amourette bras, with plans for future expansion.
👕 SUPPLIER INITIATIVES
The Italian textile group Albini, under new CEO Pierluigi Fusco Girard, aims to enhance margins and productivity while focusing on sustainability and traceability. Despite market challenges, they report positive sales growth and plan innovative product launches for 2026.
Cone Denim, with over 130 years in the industry, continues to push sustainability forward through its Ethica collection, blending traditional craftsmanship with modern technology to enhance transparency and reduce environmental impact in denim production.
📋 COMPLIANCE AND STANDARDS REVIEW
As fashion companies prepare for the 2026 Ecodesign regulation, uncertainty remains over the costs of transitioning to circular models, with AI, traceability platforms, and Digital Product Passports emerging as key technologies for compliance.
The fashion industry faces fragmented supply chain reporting requirements, creating inefficiencies, higher costs, and added pressure on suppliers. In response, initiatives such as UNECE’s work on standardising sustainability metrics and pilots for interoperable traceability systems aim to streamline compliance and improve efficiency across the sector.
🧐 My Analysis
Fragmented reporting rules are a major barrier: brands, suppliers, and regulators speak different “data languages". Short term: suppliers face rising costs and duplication of effort to meet diverse reporting frameworks. Medium term: UNECE’s push for standardised metric and interoperable traceability could reduce friction, but only if widely adopted. 💡 Action: companies should monitor UNECE pilots and align their data strategy early, interoperability will be a competitive advantage once standards take hold.
🔍 DIGITAL PRODUCT PASSPORT INSIGHT
The Digital Product Passport (DPP) market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 45.7%, driven by increasing demand for supply chain transparency, circular economy practices, and regulatory compliance, particularly under EU sustainability regulations, with fashion & textiles emerging as the largest sector for adoption.
📖 ONE BRIEF DEFINITION
SBTi:
The Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) is a global framework that helps companies set science-backed carbon reduction goals aligned with the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. It was launched in 2015 as a collaboration between four major global organizations, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Many fashion brands and retailers use SBTi to ensure their carbon reduction commitments are credible, measurable, and aligned with global climate goals. This is crucial for supply chain transparency, as companies must track emissions across Scope 1, 2, and 3 categories:
The SBTi connects to Traceability & Transparency as it requires brands to track emissions across the supply chain, increasing visibility into supplier sustainability practices. It encourages material traceability (e.g., switching to lower-carbon materials like organic cotton, recycled polyester) and it enhances accountability as companies must publicly report their progress to SBTi and stakeholders.
Thank you for reading this new edition of the GO TRACE Newsletter.
We appreciate your continued interest and support.
Read our previous editions to catch up, and subscribe for future updates!
We look forward to reconnecting with you next Tuesday 25th for our 108th edition!
Prospective research, education, writing and consulting for sustainability in fashion, textiles, colour
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