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Added: Aug 19, 2021
Last edited: Sep 01, 2021
One of the most used and desired products in the fashion industry to date is denim jeans. However, this textile is recognised for causing significant environmental impact along the supply chain. Aiming to address this challenge, Boyish, a Los Angeles brand created in 2018, focuses on sustainable and ethical practices throughout the denim jeans value chain. Focused on adding more sustainability to its approaches, the company has partnered with the company Retraced to offer transparency in the products offered on its e-commerce website through a transparency plugin based on blockchain. This transparency allows consumers to consciously make their purchases by knowing the resources and processes carried out in the manufacturing process of the desired product.
Technology has been an increasingly needed resource to provide transparency in the textile and apparel industry along the supply chain. However, the complex and fragmented supply chain of the textiles and clothing industry is considered opaque in many cases. While transparency is not the final solution, it is necessary to identify which strategies need to be improved to achieve sustainability across the entire chain. Denim is one of the crucial materials that require greater transparency due to its negative environmental impact throughout the supply chain because of the high consumption of water, energy, and chemical components.
Boyish has partnered with the company Retraced to offer greater transparency and awareness to consumers, including a plugin on its e-commerce website. It allows consumers to obtain a detailed report on the chain of production practices and activities throughout the supply chain. To date, the company has applied this tool to a select set of partners in its sustainable supply chain network, including Bossa Mills, Strom Denim, and Lenzing AG. This blockchain-based solution makes it possible for the consumer to identify the methods, standards and certifications used to manufacture the product. It also allows the company to better understand the application of sustainable strategies along the supply chain.
The technology acquired from Retraced's blockchain-based plugin allowed Boyish to work with its partners to collect and provide information regarding the methods and materials used along the supply chain. From the availability of data on the e-commerce website, consumers are educated about the journey of the brand's products, the production process necessary to create each item and the general environmental impact caused during production.
As detailed in Boyish's sustainability report, the company has already achieved 100% traceability of its Tier 1 (finished goods assemblers) and Tier 2 (Dyers, printers, finishers, weavers, knitters) suppliers. They have also managed to map 57% of Tier 3 products (Fibers, spinners), a significant result to offer ever greater knowledge, visibility and process transparency throughout the supply chain.
Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash