Three denim players pilot material-level digital passport
World Collective, Denim Deal and Green Story have announced the joint launch of a Digital Product Passport (DPP) pilot project, which is now operational for three denim fabrics.
Currently, a fabric supplier may have to provide the same information to each of its client brands: composition, origin, environmental data, certifications, and so on.
World Collective, Denim Deal and Green Story are testing a system where this information is structured once at the fabric level. It can then accompany the material as it is used by different brands and in different garments.
This implementation addresses what industry observers are beginning to call an “intermediate DPP”. The product passport data is integrated at the component or material level, rather than waiting until the finished product stage.
The project is led by World Collective, a digital sourcing platform for the fashion industry; Denim Deal, a global public-private collaboration bringing together partners from across the denim value chain; and Green Story, a technology provider that handles environmental data.
For now, their pilot focuses on three types of denim – Renewed Eco, Earthbound Eco and Bluecanopy Eco – from Indian manufacturer and Denim Deal member, Bhaskar Savitt Industries.
Anticipating regulation: a market opportunity for responsible suppliers
Each fabric has a DPP that provides access to its composition, sustainability indicators and supplier information. The idea is to create a data block upstream in the chain. This avoids rebuilding a passport from scratch for each finished pair of jeans.
This new structure is a way for suppliers to prepare for future European regulation and turn it into a commercial advantage.
“Today, suppliers have to communicate the same information separately to dozens of brands,” summarised Jeanine Ballone, co-founder and CEO of World Collective. “Our pilot project shows that when suppliers invest in structuring their data once, in a standardised format, this information becomes infinitely more valuable. It is not just a matter of efficiency; it is a competitive advantage. Suppliers with complete DPP data can directly present their practices and capabilities to the market.”
In September, during Texhibition Istanbul, World Collective, in partnership with Denim Deal and Green Story, will host an event at its stand. The aim is to engage Turkish denim suppliers and prepare them for the adoption of the DPP.