During the GS1 – WAIR 24h Circular Fashion Journey, Pascal Betten, Managing Director of Interloop Europe, presented a profound vision on supply chain transparency. The Pakistani textile giant produces almost a billion pairs of socks every year for retailers such as Nike, Adidas and H&M. The company emphasized that a reliable Digital Product Passport (DPP) depends on the validation of data at the source.
The gap between certification and reality
Betten expressed concerns about the current state of sustainability claims. Although Interloop works with numerous certifications such as the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), it notes that this consumer-level data can sometimes be misleading. The BCI does not guarantee that a specific garment physically contains this cotton. Instead, it only ensures that somewhere in the supply chain purchases have been made sustainably. A shift from document-based information to physical traceability is necessary for a truthful DPP.
Upstream truth as a foundation
A key takeaway from the presentation is that the credibility of downstream data depends entirely on the ‘upstream truth’.
“It doesn’t start in the factory or the store, but in the cotton field,” Betten said.
To ensure this, Interloop has founded its own cotton farms as a blueprint for regenerative agriculture. 10,000 farmers have now joined, with data collected directly from the field.
Validation through unique identification
Interloop has developed a ‘track and trace’ system where the data follows the physical material and not the other way around. Every step in the supply chain – from the cotton bale to the yarn to the final product – receives a unique QR code. This is linked to GS1 standards, including the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) for products and the Global Location Number (GLN) for locations. This creates an immutable digital trail.
The complexity of Tier 4 suppliers
For many brands, transparency in the deeper levels of the supply chain, tier three and tier four, is a huge challenge. The reason is that they don’t own these companies. Betten emphasized that collaboration and trust are crucial to convincing suppliers to share their data. At Interloop, the system is designed so that each actor enriches the existing data set. However, previous data cannot be overwritten. This ensures the integrity of the information.
Trust through verification
According to Betten, the difference between transparency and trust lies in verification. Transparency simply means showing data. However, trust only arises when this data has been verified, time-stamped and independently verified. A DPP must therefore be a ‘living document’ that grows throughout the product’s life cycle.
Conclusion
For Interloop, circularity and transparency are inextricably linked to its mission as an ‘agent of positive change’. By capturing item-level data from the source, they create a foundation for retailers and consumers to build on. At a time when EU regulations for the DPP are still evolving, Interloop shows that proactive action and supply chain integration is the only way forward.
This article was created using digital tools translated.
FashionUnited uses artificial intelligence to speed up the translation of articles and improve the end result. They help us to make FashionUnited’s international reporting quickly and comprehensively accessible to a German-speaking readership. Articles translated using AI-based tools are proofread and carefully edited by our editors before they are published. If you have any questions or comments, please email [email protected]
