Most of the top 100 fashion brands have announced targets for 100% sustainable fibers target by 2025 [1], but less than 5% of those brands can trace their textile inputs to verify the sustainability credentials of the fiber producers. This help explain why the first ‘core priority for immediate implementation’ of the CEO Agenda (from Global Fashion Agenda) is supply chain traceability [2].
To address this pressing challenge, three sustainability pioneers in the fashion industry – Lenzing, ArmedAngels and Schneider – joined hands with TextileGenesis™ to create an unprecedented level of traceability. The fiber-to-retail traceability pilots covered 45 garment styles each containing LENZING™ ECOVERO™ specialty viscose fibers or AUTHENTICO® organic wool, from supply chains spanning six countries.
Using the innovative Fibercoin™ technology of the TextileGenesis™ platform, Lenzing, ArmedAngels, and Schneider were able to issue digital blockchain ‘assets’ (or tokens) in direct proportion to the physical shipments of LENZING™ ECOVERO™ and Authentico® fibers. These digital tokens provide a unique ‘fingerprint’ and authentication mechanism, preventing adulteration and providing a secure, digital chain-of-custody across the entire textile value chain.
“We at ARMEDANGELS believe that sustainable products start with transparency. But product traceability in the textile supply chain can be quite a challenge. Our aim is always to make a difference. To find the best partners, to push boundaries together and find solutions! Cooperating with TextileGenesis™ and conducting two successful real-time blockchain-based traceability projects showed us that it is not only about sustainability, fraud protection, quantification and accountability, but also a true return on invest. Plus, the platform provides a true global language for supply chain tracking” says Martin Hoefler, CEO and Founder of ArmedAngels.
Lenzing has been at the forefront of the digital traceability and showcased a ‘first of a kind’ blockchain-enabled traceability for TENCEL™ branded fibers at the Hong Kong fashion summit last year. “The objective of this pilot was to demonstrate scalability across all generation of wood-based cellulosic fibers and therefore we chose LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fibers – the most sustainable viscose – for traceability. We believe that traceability and sustainability are deeply interconnected, and as market pioneers we are paving the way for the rest of the industry. The combination of physical markers in LENZING™ ECOVERO™ and the supply chain traceability on TextileGenesis™ creates the industry’s most comprehensive fiber assurance mechanism – brands can be fully sure they actually receive when they pay for Lenzing’s sustainable fibers” says Robert van de Kerkhof, CCO and Board member of Lenzing. In Q4 2020, Lenzing will roll out TextileGenesis™ globally for its TENCELTM and LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fibers portfolio.
Schneider Group – industry’s leading wool tops producer – demonstrated complete farm to retail traceability for its AUTHENTICO® program (a sustainable wool program with deep engagement among sheep-growers in Australia, New Zealand and Argentina).
“Schneider led the way with Organic wool tops production and carbon neutral wool offering, and is again paving the way for the wool industry to an unprecedented level of traceability. Our AUTHENTICO® wool program is unique due to its grass-root engagement with growers, and we wanted to offer the possibility for brands to have the complete supply chain visibility for AUTHENTICO® wool. The pilots with TextileGenesis™ demonstrates the scalability of the technology across the supply chain and creates an innovative way to offer complete assurance to brands and consumers” says Jeffrey Losekoot CEO of The Schneider Group.
TextileGenesis™ is an industry-leading traceability platform for the fashion industry and invented Fibercoins™ technology (patent pending). It’s a global network of sustainable fiber producers, leading brands, and key industry organizations to accelerate the adoption of fiber-to-retail traceability. “Fashion & textile is one of the most fragmented industries resulting in highly opaque supply chains. Our focus from the beginning has been to build a truly scalable fiber-to-retail traceability platform for the industry. In five years, we believe that majority of top 100 brands will only source sustainable and traceable textile raw materials” says Amit Gautam, CEO & Founder of TextileGenesis™.
