From fast fashion to sustainable fashion: the role of the Digital Product passport
The fashion sector has undergone a significant transformation in recent years. Fast fashion is giving way to more sustainable and responsible practices.
One of the key innovations in this transition is the Digital Product Passport that tracks, certifies and shares detailed information about the product life cycle, promoting more sustainable consumption.
1. What is the Digital Product Passport?
The Digital Product Passport is a digital document with all relevant information about a product, from production to disposal. Information may include materials, source of raw materials, production processes, sustainability certifications and recycling instructions. The Digital Product Passport makes this information easily accessible to consumers, promoting transparency and trust.
2. The role of Digital Product Passport in sustainable fashion:
Digital Product Passports are crucial in the transition from fast fashion to sustainable fashion. They provide transparency, allowing consumers to make better informed decisions. Let’s see how:
- Traceability: Digital Product Passports allow you to track the entire life cycle of a product, ensuring that every stage of production is documented and verifiable.
- Certification: The information contained in the Digital Product Passports may include sustainability certifications, such as those related to the use of recycled or organic materials.
- Transparency: By making detailed information available, Digital Product Passports increase transparency, allowing consumers to make choices based on evidence.
- Consumer education: by providing clear and detailed information, Digital Product Passports help educate consumers about the impact of their choices and the importance of sustainability.
3. Three case studies: brands using Digital Passports
Many fashion brands have already adopted Digital Product Passports to certify the authenticity and sustainability of their products. Here are some examples:
Patagonia
Patagonia is one of the pioneers of sustainable fashion. The company uses Digital Passports to provide in-depth details on the materials and manufacturing processes of its products. Each item is accompanied by a QR code that consumers can scan to access the Digital Product Passport, which includes information on the origin of raw materials, working conditions in factories, and the sustainability practices adopted.
Eileen Fisher
Eileen Fisher is another example of a brand that has adopted Digital Passports to promote transparency and sustainability.
Eileen Fisher’s Digital Product Passports provide detailed information on the recycled materials used, environmentally friendly production techniques, and recycling and recovery initiatives for discarded items.
Stella McCartney
Stella McCartney is known for her commitment to sustainable, cruelty-free fashion. The Digital Passports of its products include details on the alternatives to animal-based materials used, the sustainability certifications obtained, and initiatives to reduce the environmental impact of production.
4. Curiosity: a return to the past with modern technology
Digital passports, while representing a cutting-edge technology, evoke an ancient concept: the traceability and certification of goods, which dates back to the days of the silk roads. In the Middle Ages, merchants used seals and documents to guarantee the authenticity and quality of their goods along trade routes.
For example, during the Renaissance, Italian weavers were known for their high quality fabrics. To avoid imitations, each fabric was accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by the master weaver. These documents were considered so valuable that they were often kept as proof of purchase.
Today, digital passports bring this ancient practice back to life, but with a technological breakthrough. Using blockchain, QR code, and IoT, digital passports not only certify the authenticity of products, but also provide a host of additional information, from sustainability to real-time traceability. This combination of past and future offers consumers unprecedented confidence in the products they buy and uses technology to honor and improve historical business practices.
5. Benefits for the consumer
Digital product passports are a breakthrough innovation that offers many benefits to consumers. These technology tools improve the shopping experience, promote transparency and contribute to a moda più sostenibile.
Here’s how:
1.Informed choices
Digital product passports provide details on the origin of raw materials, production processes, working conditions and sustainability practices.
With this data at their fingertips, consumers are able to make more informed and responsible purchasing choices. For example, they may opt for products made from recycled materials or from ethical sources, thus supporting business practices that reflect their personal values.
2. Increased confidence
La trasparenza dei passaporti digitali dei prodotti permette ai consumatori di verificare l’autenticità e la storia dei loro acquisti.
Questo aiuta a dissipare dubbi e incertezze, aumentando la fiducia nei marchi che adottano pratiche sostenibili e etiche. Quando i consumatori sanno esattamente cosa stanno acquistando e come è stato prodotto, si sentono più sicuri nel loro investimento e sono più propensi a rimanere fedeli a quei marchi.
3. Positive impact
By supporting sustainable labels, consumers reduce their environmental impact and promote environmentally friendly practices. Digital passports encourage people to consider the environmental and social impact of their purchasing choices, facilitating more responsible consumption. For example, opting for clothing made from organic or recycled materials reduces the use of natural resources and minimizes waste.
6. Conclusion
The Digital Product Passport offers traceability, transparency, asset management, compliance, improved customer experience and sustainability.
Visit our Fashion & Furniture section on the site for concrete examples. The Digital Product Passport improves processes, products and services, demonstrating tangible value for your company.
