Are you looking for some traceability tips? It may be an unfamiliar word, but we guarantee it has to do with transparency.
Traceability Tips
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, traceability is the “ability to discover information about where and how a product was made.”
Additionally, and according to the Host co-chair of the podcast Fashion Not All As It Seams Ngaire Takano, traceability “enables you to be certain an item has really been produced in a certain place.”
So, now you already know what it means. And it’s also good to know that the purpose of traceability goes beyond tracking the manufacturing process to put the company’s products at a higher level of quality.
Not only that but also maintaining greater reliability with customers and preserving the environment that the industry is exploring.
In this article, you will also get some traceability tips that can change the way you do your business. But first, we can see how technology is an ally of traceability. Take a look!
When Traceability Meets The Most New Technology Resource
There are several technological tools that help in the implementation of traceability in the industry, such as QR barcodes. By the way, traceability software and technology tools help in the “collection and management of data in order to help improve product quality, security and safety throughout the supply chain.”
A practical example of implementing traceability with the help of trendy technology is Instituto Alinha, which uses blockchain resources.
The Institute has innovated across Latin America and is the first organization to implement blockchain to track clothing. And also to create a label that shows where, how and by whom a certain company produced a garment.
Traceability In The Fashion Industry
You saw that many companies and producers should apply traceability in the clothing industry.
In this way, traceability is important for building and solidifying a fairer fashion industry. For example, by tracking where the cotton comes from, it is possible to understand from the property of origin, with the guarantee of certification.
It’s not uncommon for us not to know the working conditions that garment workers have to face. As already highlighted, doing this not only benefits the company, but ensures a fair commitment to the entire supply chain.
Another important fact is about collecting and validating data. According to Fashion Revolutions 2021 Transparency Index, only 47% of brands are disclosing their first-tier manufacturers and just 11% publish selected raw materials suppliers.
This shows that “they need to rethink their current supply chain operations.“
Very interesting, right? Now you can check some traceability tips chosen by Ngaire Takano. She is internationally-minded and innovative with the drive to source and deliver projects on time and sustainably. Keep reading!
Traceability Tips By Ngaire Takano
- First, we need to bring sustainability into this discussion. If you say you are sustainable, you also need to include traceability. So we need to understand that one thing leads to another. Just look at transparency.
- Following this thought, you cannot be sustainable without traceability. And you cannot be traceable unless you are transparent. As you can see, it can be easily mistaken for transparency.
Take this concept that explains it better:
“Whereas transparency focuses on mapping the whole supply chain, traceability looks at individual batches of components or purchase orders as they progress through the supply chain.”
- Therefore, Ngaire Takano reinforces that traceability relies on transparency. Without transparency, it is not practical to implement traceability.
In addition, it is important to understand what traceability is like in the producer and consumer. Check it out:
- Both the producer and the consumer would get advantages from traceability: one respecting its duty and the other receiving what he expected
- Traceability for a company means knowing its supply chains from start to finish. Being able to trace back where it was grown, trims or other components used, raw materials, factory and workers who had made the clothing to even the clothing tag and so.
- Producers or even wholesalers cannot disclose the information if it doesn’t know all the steps involved in making it.
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