Trace4Value partnership creating Digital Product Passports for textiles
Stockholm-based Software as a Service (Saas) firm, TrusTrace, known for its product traceability and compliance platforms, has announced its collaboration in the Trace4Value initiative. The project seeks to pilot the use of Digital Product Passports (DPP) for textiles to advance sustainability through enhancing transparency.
The pilot is set to align with the EU's Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, which mandates the introduction of DPPs for textiles sold in Europe by 2030.
TrusTrace's Co-Founder and CEO, Shameek Ghosh, commented: “Our goal is to effectively test how a DPP can function in practice – and prepare for future implementation.”
“TrusTrace is uniquely positioned to pioneer this practice based on the in-depth experience we have helping brands map and trace their supply chains. Working together with dozens of industry leaders, the Trace4Value project will allow us to investigate the opportunities and challenges that the DPP will entail for textile and fashion companies, ultimately helping the entire industry comply with this new directive before 2030.”
The project is being supported by Vinnova and is coordinated by the RISE Research Institute of Sweden. Among other notable partners involved are Marimekko, Kappahl, SIS Swedish Institute for Standards, GS1 Sweden, and Aalto University. Furthermore, the overarching Trace4Value initiative comprises over 65 partners, all committed to enhancing traceability and data-sharing across a plethora of industries.
In a tangible step forward, select products from Kappahl and Marimekko will be tagged with ID carriers, offering pivotal supply chain and transparency details. Consumers can swiftly access this information via a QR code scanned with a mobile device.
Beyond creating this consumer interface, TrusTrace and its partners have crafted a data protocol to streamline information for the DPP, incorporating supply chain metrics and legal considerations.
Ghosh added: “There are no standard data protocols for this regulation yet, so we have developed a data protocol that is available for download at the TrusTrace and Trace4Value web pages.
“We are not creating a separate standard, but testing and learning, and the protocol will be continuously updated as the details on the EU regulation take shape. The protocol has been designed to be flexible to ensure we can adapt to all the changes coming in the future.”
Digital Product Passports for textiles in Europe
The European Commission is developing the DPP requirements, which sits under the Sustainable Textile Strategy, as a component of the European Green Deal and the Eco-design for Sustainable Product Regulation (ESPR).
According to Marimekko’s Sustainability Manager Marjut Lovio: “Digital Product Passports aim to increase transparency and traceability of products to enable improved consumer communications. This pilot program will help the industry to prepare for planned regulations that will move us one step closer to a circular economy.”
Ultimately, the DPP, in conjunction with the Circular Economy Action Plan and the Ecodesign Regulation, aims to reshape the manufacturing landscape, promoting sustainable, resource-efficient product design.
