What is Traceability and Why is it Essential?
The lack of traceability in most apparel supply chains is a rampant issue in the fashion industry. Original Favorites believes in setting high sustainability standards for the apparel industry. In a world where profits come at the expense of quality, workers' rights, and the environment, having traceability standards and certifications available should be at the forefront of any business.
What is Traceability?
Traceability is hard to define because manufacturing industries want their production processes to have varying degrees of accountability. So, what is real traceability? Traceability is the degree to which a company has transparency and knowledge of its supply chains. It can be hard to understand an entire supply chain because so many industries and value chain partners are involved in one supply chain. There is usually a far distance between the factories and sourcing companies and a language barrier that prevents companies from being able to fact-check against the same standards or metrics easily. Acquiring extensive product traceability of your supply chain is the only way to verify your claims and fully understand one’s environmental impact.
Building The Infrastructure for Complete Traceability
Manufacturing has to be built on the best practices from the beginning to have complete traceability. Implementing certificates as you start your supply chain process is another great way to build the proper manufacturing processes. A thorough traceability system early on is a great way to create a foundation for a sustainable and ethical supply chain that produces eco-friendly, quality blanks. Suppose you are starting a business and know that sustainability is a core value. In that case, every decision you make will have that rooted into it and help you create a digital traceability system that is easy to navigate and understand as it was correct and ethical from the start. Today, many people are focusing on companies that choose to be sustainable and value the extra effort that it requires.
A solid traceability system can be the easiest way to manage quality control. It is vital to have quality control over all of your products so you can speak with assurance to your clients. To stand out from fast fashion brands, you must be able to track and trace the process of your garment construction. Quality traceability can protect one’s business in the case of product recalls. It is highly beneficial for the company to be one step ahead so that in cases like product recalls, they are suited to be able to handle it.
Textile and clothing industries have unique supply chain tendencies. Their supply chains are primarily based on voluntary guidelines and industrial compliance. The industry lacks regulatory controls - compared to food and pharmaceutical supply chains. Those industries have tight regulations because the public regards them as higher risk, but the clothing industry can also have its dangers. With its loose regulations, the fashion industry lacks supply chain traceability. It can involve many suppliers that use unethical and untraceable practices to reduce costs and increase profits. It is now on the apparel companies to do their due diligence and utilize compliance as part of their complete traceability strategy. It is an integral part of quality management and traceability control that needs to be expected.
Another beneficial element of having an excellent traceability system is that it is inherently better for the environment and increases the efficiency of a company’s supply chain. Once a company understands all of the elements of its supply chain, they have no option but to cut down on any parts that are not efficient. It also lends itself to being able to optimize one’s supply chain in every way one can. This is an obvious benefit to this transparency as it allows a company to operate at its most efficient state, leading to optimal processes and profits. Operational efficiency is always a goal in any business.
Customer satisfaction is the root of one’s business success; without it, no business can succeed. A sound traceability system allows a company to implement improvements easily. You often do not know there is room for improvement until your customer opens your doors to them. Having a good grip on your own supply chain management allows for easier implementation of these improvements. Continuously improving products makes them more appealing and helps maintain quality standards. This is how dedication to sustainable development can help a business grow.
Effective Global Production
The reality of the textile and apparel industry’s production process is that they include a global supply chain. Many times farms and factories aren’t closely located, let alone in the same country. Where apparel is constructed usually differs from where the products are sold. Obviously, this can create distance between the supplier and its supply chain. This distance can allow for higher discrepancies in supply chains as well. Keeping track of carbon emissions in global logistical trade is one way to help manage effective global production and reduce carbon emissions. An extensive internal traceability system ensures that this risk of discrepancy is kept low.
How Traceability Can Contribute to a Circular Economy
A circular economy is a systems solution framework that aims to take global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution into consideration. So in regards to the fashion industry, it involves products and materials being kept in use as long as possible through a long life span, recycling, or reusing. The focus is now on reinventing the wheel when it comes to apparel, by changing the process to encourage longer-lasting, reusable clothing. Due to the current reality including excessive daily waste, a change to the entire system is necessary. Sustainability through traceability is critical in encouraging this process. It is the answer for facilitating a circular product’s lifecycle in the apparel industry. This encouragement of traceability will only allow this circular chain to grow and evolve into the new norm and become the expected way for the apparel industry to do things.
Original Favorites’ Commitment to Traceability
Original Favorites is committed to participating in positive change in the apparel industry. We built our supply chain around transparency and traceability. Acquiring all of the certifications to back our claims only allows our customers to have this assurance as well and allows for a basis of trust between us and our client base. Our GOTS® certification with our fleece and our Supima® cotton material with our tees, have received certifications that traceability that include our own supply chain, allowing us to track our supply chain at all times. Working closely with these institutions has created an incredible foundation of transparency and trust that our products were made with the best quality materials and exceed industry standards. We are always looking for ways to improve when it comes to our traceability. With new technology constantly emerging, we are always at the forefront of breakthroughs to supply chain transparency - and other companies can be as well.