Blockchain for fashion: how the Digital Product Passport works
Want to find out how blockchain is revolutionizing the fashion world? You’re in the right place. Today we will talk about an innovative tool that promises to transform the whole industry: the Digital Product Passport. Whether you are a fashion lover, an industry professional or simply curious about technology, get ready to find out how it works, why it’s important and what benefits it can bring.
1. Why is the blockchain the future of Fashion
In recent years, fashion has come under increasing pressure to become more transparent, sustainable and accountable. Consumers and legislators are calling for greater clarity on the provenance of materials, production methods and sustainability of products. This is where blockchain comes in, a technology that can respond to these needs by providing immutable and easily verifiable information.
The Digital Product Passport is at the heart of this transformation: a kind of digital identity card for each product, accessible with a simple click or scan.
2. What is the blockchain and how it works?
Blockchain is a technology that allows you to create distributed and immutable digital records, offering unprecedented transparency. Imagine a large accounting book accessible to all, but impossible to alter: every transaction or data entered is verified and approved by the participants of the network, ensuring security and reliability. This feature is crucial in the fashion industry, where it allows to track the entire life cycle of a garment. From the moment raw material is harvested to final sale, every step is documented, ensuring a clearer and more responsible supply chain.
3. How blockchain transforms fashion
Think of a garment with a digital label: by scanning it, the consumer has access to a complete overview of its history. You can find out where the materials were collected, which factories were involved in the production whether ethical standards have been met. This technology does not just provide information, but also acts as a powerful tool to combat counterfeiting, which is a serious problem for the industry.
With blockchain, each product is accompanied by a unique and verifiable digital identity, making it almost impossible to replicate or falsify. It also helps make recycling more efficient by collecting and storing key data on the materials used and recommended disposal methods.
In essence, blockchain and DPP not only make the production process more transparent, but also create an ecosystem where every actor – from producer to consumer – has an active and informed role.
3.1 Pratical Example
You enter a shop, attracted by a beautiful jacket. This is not just any garment, but an eco-friendly product that the brand has decided to accompany with a Digital Product Passport. When you look at the label, you see a QR code. Scan it with your smartphone and access a digital page that tells you every detail about the jacket, turning your purchase into a conscious and transparent experience.
- Origin of materials:The jacket is made from 100% certified organic cotton, grown in India without the use of chemical pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. The Digital Product Passport allows you to even check the cotton supplier’s details, with information on organic certification and fair trade practices in the supply chain.
- Production: is packaged in a facility in Portugal that is distinguished by its low environmental impact. Water consumption is reduced here thanks to innovative machinery and environmentally friendly dyeing techniques. Through the DPP, you can access images and descriptions of production processes, with the assurance that this information has been recorded in an immutable way on the blockchain.
- Certification: The jacket carries internationally recognized quality and sustainability seals, such as GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and OEKO-TEX Standard 100, which certify respectively the sustainability of materials and the absence of harmful chemicals.
- End of life: You will find clear instructions on how to dispose of or recycle the jacket after use. For example, the brand could indicate the nearest collection points where to deliver the garment for recycling of materials or for possible reuse. Some brands even offer incentives, such as discounts on new purchases, to encourage more responsible behaviour by customers.
A world where the “greenwashing” (false statements of sustainability) The DPP is on the agenda, it ensures transparency and trust.
4. Challenges in the adoption of the Digital Product Passport
Despite the challenges, addressing the Digital Product Passport is an opportunity to innovate and improve the entire fashion industry. Here are some critical points and how they can be transformed into levers of change:
- High initial costs: The integration of blockchain and DPP technologies requires significant investment, especially for small brands but adoption can be scaled up gradually, leveraging targeted partnerships and funding. The first steps help to gain consumer confidence and reduce losses due to counterfeiting, while justifying costs over time.
- Lack of standardization: The lack of global standards makes it difficult to develop an interoperable system. But this challenge invites brands to collaborate with industry associations and regulators, playing an active role in creating shared standards that improve the competitiveness of the sector.
- Resistance to change: The idea of transparency scares some brands, but DPP is not a threat: it’s an opportunity to tell your story, correct any criticalities and improve the brand’s sustainability reputation, gaining the trust of increasingly attentive customers.
Overcoming these challenges is not only an act of adaptation, but a strategic investment that positions brands as pioneers of a more transparent and sustainable fashion system.
Conclusion: the future of fashion is now
The blockchain-powered Digital Product Passport is paving the way for a radical transformation in the fashion industry. For consumers, it is an opportunity to make more informed choices by knowing exactly where the products they buy come from. For brands, it is a unique opportunity to stand out, showing transparency and sustainability, and to become leaders in an increasingly value-oriented sector.
