The Shift Toward Reusability and Recycling in Apparel and Footwear
The apparel and footwear industries are focused on designing products that can be reused and recycled. Digital product passports (DPPs), which contain information about a product's sustainability, environmental impact and recyclability, are key to enabling this transformation.
Tracking Product Data for Recycling
Consider the benefits when a clothing manufacturer tracks a cotton T-shirt’s data from its origin to its final stitch. This data is crucial for recycling. Centralized product data management ensures reliable information on material composition and adherence to sustainability standards, making textile recycling possible and supporting a circular product lifecycle.
Compliance Challenges in the US
In the U.S., brands must navigate ever-changing compliance regulations. As domestic policies continue to focus on extended producer responsibility (EPR), how can brands ensure they meet these requirements? EPR mandates that brands are responsible for their products from creation to disposal, including end-of-life management. DPPs help track every stage of a product's journey — from raw material sourcing to disposal — ensuring compliance with EPR policies. This makes recycling and repurposing more efficient.
Global Compliance and the EU’s Role
Navigating global compliance for product quality and sustainability is increasingly challenging for retail brands, with the European Union (EU) leading the way with evolving regulations. The EU now requires the use of DPPs to meet strict consumer product compliance standards. DPPs offer detailed insights into a product’s origin, production and sustainability, empowering consumers to make informed choices. This transparency builds customer loyalty and allows brands to differentiate themselves in a competitive market.
The Importance of Data Management
Embracing DPPs is about proactively managing product data. But where does this data come from? While DPPs provide valuable information, the real value lies in the verifiable data supporting compliance and informed decision-making. Investing in DPPs is essential, but it’s the data management infrastructure that ensures brands have the information they need to adapt to changing regulations.
Implementing Effective Data Management
To fully benefit from DPPs, brands must implement comprehensive data management processes and tools that enable efficient product data management across multiple platforms. Maintaining a "single source of truth" for product data through proactive data management and using DPPs to track each stage of a product's lifecycle ensures compliance and positions a brand as a leader in circular design.
Joe Walkuski is chief product officer for Texbase, cloud-based data management software for textile testing, material compliance management, product certification, sustainability, and supplier communication.
Joe Walkuski is the chief product officer for Texbase. He has been working in the textile, apparel and software space since the mid-1980s. For 13 of those years, he was the director of textile research and development at Patagonia and was a founding member of Patagonia's Advanced Concept Development Center in Bozeman, Montana. During his tenure at Patagonia, Joe was responsible for innumerable textile innovations, such as creating the first global supply chain for organic cotton and being the first to convert soda bottles into recycled polyester fabrics. In 2002, he founded Texbase, which delivers software-as-a-service to the consumer products industry focused on material quality and testing, compliance, traceability and sustainability. Joe is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, holds a U.S. patent and has won numerous awards for his contribution to the retail industry. As an avid outdoorsman, he takes full advantage of Southwest Montana, where he lives with his wife and family.
