Does transparency matter to the fashion industry? It appears
that the answer is yes.
MADE-BY has together with Global Traceability
Solutions (GTS) launched a bespoke transparency platform for the fashion
industry.
MADE-BY’s extended Transparency Solutions offer was developed
to directly address the struggles that brands and retailers have faced in
gaining supply chain traceability. Transparency Solutions gives brands and
retailers the tools and guidance to create a successful transparency program and
supports them to use this information to improve the sustainability of their
supply chains.
MADE-BY has over 10 years of experience working with brands
and retailers to implement successful mapping and traceability initiatives.
Based on their experience, they recognized the need for scalable, flexible and
easy to use tools to support companies in gaining greater visibility into the
products and processes within their supply chain. Many brands
are required to work with individual tools or platforms for a specific commodity
or material type, but now, they will be able to conduct all supply chain
transparency work in one place supported by MADE-BY, on one IT platform
developed by GTS.
MADE-BY’s Transparency Solutions:
Offers supply chain mapping, sustainability due diligence and
product led traceability for all material types simultaneously. This means that
brands and retailers can now trace animal derived materials, conduct risk
assessments of wet processing suppliers and map wood based materials suppliers
all in one place.
Is fashion specific, with tailored sustainability
questionnaires targeting the key social and environmental issues for each unique
supplier type within the fashion industry.
Gives validated results completed by an expert team at
MADE-BY, leaving brands and retailers with greater confidence into the accuracy
of their transparency project outcomes.
Enables brands and retailers to visualize their supply chain,
meaning they are able to easily segment suppliers based upon many different risk
factors. This enables brands and retailers to conduct custom root cause analysis
of issues as they arise.
Supports brands and retailers with risk assessments. Based
upon supply chain feedback MADE-BY will conduct workshops with brands and
retailers to better understand these risks and develop actions to reduce
impacts.
Can be integrated with other systems, from internal systems
like SAP which is used by major brands and retailers, to other IT platforms
where information is currently collected for a specific segment of suppliers,
material type, etc.
Speaking on this new service offer Sabine Ritter, CEO,
MADE-BY said: “I strongly believe that MADE-BY’s updated Transparency Solutions
offer fills a gap in the market. Never before have brands and retailers been
able to conduct all their supply chain due diligence in one place, have this
completely validated by an independent organisation and furthermore receive
support on reducing risks and impacts of their supply chains.”
Ulrich Heindl, CEO, Global Traceability Solutions said: “We
hope to bring the traceability success we have seen in the timber industry, to
the fashion sector and look forward to working with MADE-BY, a partner that has
the knowledge and know how to help implement change within the fashion
industry.”
About MADE-BY
Founded in 2004, MADE-BY is an award-winning European
not-for-profit organization, acting to improve environmental and social
conditions within the fashion industry. It is MADE-BY’s mission to ‘Make
Sustainable Fashion Common Practice’ through targeted consultancy with well over
100 brands and retailers, capacity building within the supply chain and
engagement in multiple-stakeholder projects with governments and the European
Commission. In 2013 MADE-BY won Consultancy of the Year at the UK Guardian
Sustainable Business Awards.
For more information see www.made-by.org
About Global Traceability Solutions (GTS)
GTS has nearly a decade of
experience driving forward cloud-based chain of custody management systems in
the timber industry and has worked with international brands such as Unilever on
traceability. Currently it has approximately 70,000 suppliers producing wood
based products in its online platform, and therefore it is experienced in
handling mapping and traceability projects at scale.
They are an award-winning European not-for-profit
organization, acting to improve environmental and social conditions within the
fashion industry. Working to make sustainable fashion common
practice.
Learn more about the fashion industry.