Supermarket Tesco has agreed to introduce digital passports across its F&F clothing range as the EU continues to clampdown on transparency and sustainability.
Tesco will include digital passports across its full fashion range, which will provide shoppers with more information about where and how each garment was made.
Joe Little, Head of Technical from Tesco, said: “At Tesco, we’re committed to sustainability and strive to make a positive impact on our planet. DPPs represent an important step forward, encouraging and promoting sustainable and circular practices and we’re pleased to be leading the way with this pilot, collaborating with Fabacus on our F&F clothing range.”
In recent years, the fashion industry has been criticised for a lack of transparency and part of the problem has been a lack of standardised information. Digital passports (DPPs) allow customers to access where and how their garments were made, allowing customers to learn about their environmental impact and informed choices about where they want to shop. Some brands even offer easy recycling and resale opportunities via digital passports, such as Pangaia.
This news comes as Brussels battles to boost supply chain transparency by rolling out legislation forcing companies to introduce DPPs. If approved, retailers across fashion, furniture and more will have to provide detailed information on the materials used to create each product and their environmental impact.
Not only will the new legislation provide information, but it will also install new requirements on how retailers manage their stock, such as banning destroying excess stock. Companies that do not comply could face fines and even be prevented from selling in the EU.
Mr Xeni the founder of fashion label Nobody’s Child and Fabacus, a tech company that provides supply chain and data services for digital passports, worked with Tesco on the supermarket’s trial. Nobody’s Child has already successfully tested the digital passports, providing a more conscious approach to high-street fashion.
Xeni spoke at TheIndustry.fashion LIVE: Preparing for Peak event earlier this year, where he commented: “We’re on a mission to convince the world you can produce better fashion consciously.”
Commenting on his work with Tesco, Xeni said: “What they’re doing is, in essence, saying consumers should have the right and access to a level of information that enables them to make an informed buying decision so that they’re aware of the environmental impact of that product that they’re buying.”
