The collaboration will see the integration of QIMA’s onsite compliance expertise with the Retraced platform to offer solutions across supply chains.
The apparel sector requires both digital and physical verification methods to achieve supply chain visibility. QIMA’s network of on-site auditors ensures that the information added into Retraced’s platform is reliable and accurate.
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QIMA consumer products CEO Pierre-Nicolas Disser said: “Our partnership with Retraced provides brands with the tools for ethical, transparent, and sustainable sourcing. By combining expertise in compliance with advanced traceability technology, we’re enabling brands to build trust through responsible sourcing practices that protect both consumers and workers at every stage of the supply chain.”
The strategic alliance seeks to offer benefits to brands, retailers and suppliers by ensuring complete traceability is achieved from start to finish, without compromising both regulatory and customer standards.
It aims to help streamline compliance and risk mitigation by facilitating due diligence processes, effectively rectifying compliance issues, and minimising vulnerabilities within the supply chain.
Furthermore, it seeks to help enhance reputation and collaborative relationships using validated data, increase transparency, and strengthen business partnerships.
The partnership provides brands with enhanced oversight, governance, and assurance of adherence to compliance within their supply chains.
The integration of QIMA’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) services with the Retraced platform is said to allow businesses to monitor, evaluate, and handle traceability obligations from a unified system.
Retraced CEO & co-founder Lukas Pünder said: “Transparency and traceability are no longer optional—they are fundamental for responsible business practices. Partnering with QIMA enables us to bridge the gap between digital traceability and on-the-ground verification, ensuring that brands and suppliers have access to the most reliable data for building transparent, compliant, and sustainable supply chains.”
In September last year, Retraced announced a successful Series A closing round of €15m ($16.53m) to expedite its mission to make sustainability management more effective and accessible for companies in the fashion and textile industry worldwide.
In a separate development, international private equity firm TA Associates made a strategic investment in QIMA. Financial terms of the deal remain undisclosed.
The collaboration is designed to propel QIMA’s aggressive growth strategy and catalyse innovation within the Testing, Inspection, and Certification (TIC) market.
Serving over 30,000 clients, QIMA has been focused on developing an advanced technology platform since its foundation in 2005.
With the support of TA’s financial investment, QIMA is poised to further refine its technological and AI competencies, aiming to provide superior quality assurance and compliance solutions to its wide-ranging clientele.
TA managing directors Patrick Sader and Christopher Parkin, who will join QIMA’s Board of Directors, said: “We believe there is significant opportunity for QIMA to expand its reach into new markets and build on its service offerings, all to the benefit of its customers.”
