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From Transparency to Labels: Four Strategic Pillars for DPP Success
1. Verifiable Upstream Data
Compliance with emerging regulations requires trustworthy, verifiable upstream supply chain data. Your brand needs rigorous certification processes, ethical sourcing commitments, and comprehensive procurement measurement systems, as well as technology that will securely hold and enable verification efficiently when required. Whether you are an established global retailer or an emerging brand, these steps ensure reliable, sustainable supply chains that meet regulatory requirements. Blockchain technology can support and secure your data commitments, giving you the confidence to demonstrate transparency to regulators and consumers alike.
2. Interconnected Regulations require Agile, Scalable Solutions
As an apparel brand retailing across multiple states or regions, you need holistic, scalable data and durable digital labels as interconnected regulations continue to multiply. Beyond current DPP stipulations, you may consider whether your traceability solution will support scope three data collection, for example? In addition to other emerging requirements.
Working with a solution partner that supports you as you scale is critical beyond your initial requirements; they will need to integrate into your aggregated data collection and present this information seamlessly through durable QR codes that support the product lifecycle.
The right labeling partner can respond quickly to sourcing challenges with agile manufacturing through a global network of owned production facilities to produce your physical labels that will hold the digital product passports.
3. Cross-functional Thinking and Delivery
To effectively roll out traceability solutions in your supply chain, an inclusive and holistic approach needs to be implemented, particularly when delving further upstream. Both from an engagement perspective, but also from a data flow and data management perspective. Efficient supply chain management encompasses many sources of complex data and these need to “talk” to each other for a seamless rollout while ensuring that you have buy-in from your supply chain.
Some areas requiring thought and attention are highlighted below:
- What data do you need to collect? (e.g. material origins, repair/resale, recycled content, carbon footprint, social compliance, chemical compliance, microplastic release etc)
- Where is the data generated and how will you collect it?
- Where will you secure your data?
- Which of your labels will you digitalize with QR codes to enable easy customer access?
- Have you engaged your labeling partner to ensure durability requirements are met?
Your project’s success also depends on cross-functional teams with expertise from multiple departments, for example:
- Your IT and data science teams
- Procurement and sourcing specialists
- Product and supply chain compliance experts
- Marketing and sales representatives
- Sustainability teams
- Labels and Trims teams and suppliers
- Manufacturing partners
4. Robust Digital Labeling as Brand Ambassadors
As an apparel brand, DPPs enable you to aggregate comprehensive product information, including environmental impact, empowering your consumers to make informed, sustainable purchasing decisions while building stronger advocacy for your brand. Your garment labels serve as the ideal communication medium throughout the product’s lifetime, creating a distinct opportunity to bridge your products and brand purpose through smart labelling technology.
By developing durable and robust digital labeling with QR codes, you can deliver multiple benefits: ensuring product transparency that builds consumer trust, creating long-term brand advocacy, providing detailed care instructions that extend the product’s life and maintaining a meaningful connection with your audience, even through second-hand markets, like thrift stores. Durable QR codes can preserve access to vital product information through the product’s lifecycle, continuing to represent your brand values after the initial sale.
Your product’s labeling now plays a pivotal role beyond technical details and pricing, telling the complete brand story while increasing usability and strengthening consumer perceptions beyond the initial purchase. Durable and aesthetically pleasing digital labels transform every product into a brand ambassador.
Summary
Your success in implementing DPPs requires the right technology, cross-functional collaboration, and a strategic labeling partner who understands both the technical complexity and transformative opportunity you face. Implementing DPP’s using fragmented solutions and potentially unreliable data flows could cause further challenges on your traceability journey.
Partnering with ITL, provides integrated expertise that brings critical advantages such as established supply chain relationships as Tier two manufacturers to help accelerate data collection, proven expertise in durable and dynamic QR code labelling and engineered labels that help save on cost and raw material wastage.
As your established labeling partner, we already process critical supply chain data for care labels, uniquely positioning us to extend traceability back to raw materials while ensuring engaging downstream digital product passports through our solution partners. We partner with brands to not only meet DPP requirements, but we also help to create sustainable advantages through physical products and digital solutions that improve data accuracy, enhance consumer trust, and support agile operations to reduce costs while improving transparency.
ITL’s Xplore – Trace, Trace & Authenticate
Our award-winning solution provides you with the below and more:
Upstream Benefits:
- Track and trace across your multilevel tiers and product groups using blockchain technology for added security and protection.
- Gain a single aggregated view of raw material usage across your supply chain.
- Achieve full compliance readiness for DPP, EUDR, and EPR regulations.
- Manage your certifications with alerts for social and environmental requirements.
- Access product origin geolocation at the SKU level.
Downstream Benefits:
- Share your garment's social and environmental journey from raw materials to initial purchase and beyond through product registration.
- Provide authentic product verification that protects your brand integrity.
- Create Digital Twins with additional product advice that will keep your customers engaged.
- Employ durable and robust labels that can support the garment’s reusability.
Are you ready to transform your supply chain transparency from a challenge to a purposeful advantage?
Contact ITL to discover how our award-winning Xplore solution can help you navigate the regulatory landscape while building stronger consumer connections through authentic and engaging digital product passports in the evolving retail landscape.
