TextileGenesis explains its new partnership with the FSC will allow its traceability platform for fashion and textile players to aid the traceability of cellulose fibres from responsibly managed forests.
The traceability platform pointed out that in fashion many textiles such as viscose, lyocell and modal use man-made cellulose fibres, which come from wood pulp and can contribute to deforestation.
FSC is an international NGO with a mission to promote responsible forest management worldwide. This includes a certification for products and raw materials which have been obtained from wood grown in responsibly managed forests, and comes from supply chains where social rights of workers, communities and indigenous peoples have been safeguarded.
TextileGenesis founder and CEO Amit Gautam said: "We've already been working with man made cellulosic fibre producers for several years to facilitate, thanks to our blockchain-inspired technology, the traceability of fibres manufactured by the most virtuous producers, and we've integrated their analysis criteria into our platform."
He added the new collaboration will support companies in the traceability of FSC certified fibres and support the administration and data management of FSC chain of custody certification: "All players in the value chain will benefit from increased transparency and much more reliable upstream data. Fashion brands will be able to demonstrate much more easily that their garments use textiles made from responsibly sourced man-made cellulose fibres."
Rise of apparel sector's interest in deforestation
FSC's international chief commercial director Fabian Farkas added: “We are seeing a rapid increase in interest in FSC certification from the textile industry, marking a very positive trend. Through this collaboration with TextileGenesis, we aim to simplify the administrative part of FSC certification for companies within the textile supply chain by automating many required data processes.
"Our goal is to empower brands to identify opportunities for seamless progress in meeting their FSC procurement policies.”
GlobalData apparel company filing mentions of deforestation between 2019 and 2024
Credit: GlobalData
GlobalData company filings data over the last five years (5 June 2019 to 5 June 2024) support Farkas' observation of an increasing interest in the impact of deforestation.
The data suggests searches for the term 'deforestation' climbed in 2022 before reaching a peak in 2023.
In April 2024, TextileGenesis partnered with EON, which specialises in product digitisation to introduce Digital Product Passports (DPPs) for brands to connect their product's entire lifecycle and meet upcoming regulations.
