S.Oliver Group, the owner of fashion and footwear brands S.Oliver, QS, Comma, Liebeskind and Copenhagen Studios, took a first step to trace its entire supply chain.
The German company recently formed a strategic partnership with Retraced, a digital platform that helps fashion and textile companies digitize, trace and verify their supply chains down to the origin of raw materials.
Denim brands I And Me and Boyish use the technology to trace their supply chains, and suppliers including Artistic Milliners lean on the platform to trace cotton.
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Retraced will serve as a “central data management tool” for S.Oliver Group to improve transparency within its own supply chains and enable digital traceability of products for end customers. The company’s long-term goal is to have all its products fully traceable via Retraced and to further improve communication and promote more responsible consumer decisions.
“We are aware that with greater transparency comes greater accountability,” said Oliver Hein, S.Oliver Group chief operating officer.
The companies found common ground with their holistic views of social and environmental responsibility. As part of the strategic partnership, S.Oliver Group will support Retraced’s efforts to further the scope of the tracing platform to include human rights issues, digital risk management and the implementation of risk prevention measures in the supply chain.
“Only through close collaboration can the challenges of the fashion industry be solved. We see our customers as valuable partners with whom we develop solutions together,” said Philipp Mayer, Retraced co-founder.
Being able to trace and measure these areas of production are increasingly important after the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) officially became law earlier this year. LkSG requires large companies to identify and prevent human rights or environmental violations in their global supply chain.
“The S.Oliver Group brings many years of experience in the areas of social compliance and risk management, which supports us especially in the further development of all LkSG relevant functions,” Mayer said. “In this way, we help the industry in the long term with the challenges of global supply chain laws and pave the way for a more sustainable fashion industry.”
