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Traceability for Sustainable Garment and Footwear

Improving transparency and traceability has become a priority for the garment and footwear industry to increase its ability to manage the value chains more effectively, identify and address labour and human rights violations and environmental impacts, combat counterfeits, and handle reputational risks, while embracing more sustainable production and consumption patterns.

In fact, many companies have a limited view of the network of business partners within their value chain and do not get the full story behind their products. Most can identify and track their immediate suppliers, but information is often lost about the suppliers of their suppliers. It requires the collaboration of all industry partners, the deployment of common approaches and reliable technical solutions in widely different environments.

Our focus

UNECE and UN/CEFACT, jointly with key industry stakeholders have looked into such challenges and risks and have launched a project for an international framework initiative to enhance transparency and traceability for sustainable value chains in the garment and footwear industry.
Over the period 2019-2022 the project aims at setting up a multi-stakeholder policy platform, developing policy recommendation, traceability standards and implementation guidelines, and build capacity and conduct pilots on the project deliverables.

As part of that work, UNECE has launched "The Sustainability Pledge" inviting governments, garment and footwear manufacturers and industry stakeholders to pledge to apply our toolkit of measures and take a positive step towards improving the environmental and ethical credentials of the sector. 

Jointly implemented with       With the support of

Key Documents

Policy

Recommendation n°46: Enhancing traceability and transparency of sustainable value chains in the garment and footwear sector (ECE/TRADE/463)
EnglishFrench,   Russian

Call to Action -  The Sustainability Pledge

Call to Action for Traceability, Transparency, Sustainability and Circularity of Value Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector (submitted to the 27th UN/CEFACT Plenary, March 2021) English    French   Russian  

Join and submit your action/s to "The Sustainability Pledge"

Standard

Business Requirements Specification for Traceability and Transparency in the Textile and Leather Sector, Part 1: High-Level Process and Data Model (February 2021)

Business Requirements Specification for Traceability and Transparency in the Textile and Leather Sector, Part 2: Use Cases and CCBDA Data Structures (February 2021)

Textile and Leather Data Model

Product Transparency Message 

Traceability Event Message 

Business Process Analysis (BPA) for Sustainability and Circularity

Business Process Analysis for Sustainability and Circularity in the Leather Value Chain

Business Process Analysis for Sustainability and Circularity in Textile Value Chains

Pilot

Updated Report on the Blockchain Pilots Project for the Garment and Footwear Sector: Proof of Concept Report: Harnessing the potential of blockchain technology for due diligence and sustainability in textile and leather value chains (2023)
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2023/19

Report on the Blockchain Pilots Project for the Garment and Footwear Sector (October 2022) 

Harnessing the potential of blockchain technology for due diligence and sustainability in cotton value chains, Policy brief (April 2021)

Guidelines and studies

Enabling Sustainability and Circularity in the Garment and Footwear Sector: Policy Developments and Industry Perspectives on Traceability and Transparency

Enhancing Traceability of Products along International Value Chains for the Circular Economy and Sustainable Use of Resources

Reference Guide on Code Lists and Identifiers in the Textile and Leather Value Chains

Mapping of policies, regulations and guidelines: Report, Policy developments on traceability and transparency and its Executive summary for policymakers (April 2021)

Mapping of Garment and Footwear Sector Ecosystem (April 2021)

Policy Paper on Accelerating action for a sustainable and circular garment and footwear industry

Briefing note - Sustainable Textile Value Chains in the Garment and Footwear Domain for SDG12 (2019)

UNECE Study on Transparency and Traceability in Textile Value Chains (2017)

Handbook - Implementing UN/CEFACT e-business standards in Agricultural Trade (2016)

A Framework - Traceability for Sustainable Trade (2016)

Communication

The Sustainability Pledge Leaflet

The UNECE Blockchain Pilot Infographic

The Sustainability Pledge Infographic

Events

2024

19 February 2024: OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector Side Session - Fixing a Leaky System: Creating Resource Management Systems for Used Textiles

2023

2022

5 December 2022: Working Meeting - Team of Specialists on Environmental, Social and Governance Traceability of Sustainable Value Chains in the Circular Economy as part of the 39th UN/CEFACT Plenary 

8-12 November 2022: COP27 Contribution of "The Sustainability Pledge", Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt

6 October 2022: Team of Specialists on Environmental, Social and Governance Traceability of Sustainable Value Chains in the Circular Economy - Second Session, Palais des Nations, Geneva Switzerland

22 June 2022: Tracing textiles: Advanced technologies for sustainable value chains - Unleashing the potential of blockchain for traceability, transparency and circularity in garment & footwear, Brussels Expo, Brussels, Belgium (12:05 - 12:50 CET)

24-25 May 2022: UNECE-UNIDO Regional Workshop: Accelerating action for the sustainable garment and footwear industry - Harnessing the potential of innovation for due diligence and reduced environmental impact the way forward to UNFCCC COP27
Cairo, Egypt

07 April 2022: 2nd UNECE-FAO RLC Latin America Regional Workshop – Accelerating action for the sustainable and circular garment and footwear industry, innovation for inclusive cotton value chains
Santiago Chile (9:30 - 17:30 GMT-3)

25 March 2022: Joint Event: International Conference of Confederation of Employers of Uzbekistan and UNECE Programme "The sustainable garment and footwear industry of the future."
Hilton Tashkent City, Tashkent Hall, Tashkent Uzbekistan (9:30 - 17:00 CET)

11 March 2022: Textile Transparency Toolbox - UNECE x Manchester Fashion Institute
Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, Manchester United Kingdom (9:00 - 17:00 GMT)

22 February 2022: Untapping the potential of blockchain for responsible and inclusive business models in the garment and footwear sector
Paris, France (14:00 - 15:15 CET)

15 February 2022: Building the traceability of sustainable value chains across the two continents with support of blockchain technology
Brussels,  Belgium (14:30 - 15:15 CET)

2021

06 December 2021: UNECE-FAO Latin America training Workshop - accelerating action for the sustainable and circular garment and footwear industry - innovation for inclusive cotton value chains
Santiago, Chile (10.30 am - 4.30 pm, Santiago time) (2.30 pm - 8.30 pm, Geneva time)

21-23 September 2021: UNECE-SDA BOCCONI Regional Workshop - Accelerating action on sustainability and circularity in the garment and footwear sector with innovations that deliver on due diligence and informed consumer choice

12 July 2021: Making the circular transition work for a transformative and prosperous post-COVID recovery, side event during the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, 13:20-15:00 (CET)

28 April 2021: Traceability for Sustainable Garment and Footwear (agri-domain), 36th UN/CEFACT Forum, 13:30-15:30 (CET)   Presentation

19-20 April 2021: 27th Session - UN/CEFACT Plenary 10:00 - 18:00 (CET)

16 March 2021: Building back better: Unlocking the potential of advanced technologies for circular and sustainable value chains in the garment and footwear sector - Side event of the UNECE Regional Forum on Sustainable Development, 12:15-13:45 (CET). Flyer  Presentation.

01 February 2021: 2021 OECD Forum - Decent Work,Transparency and Traceability in the Garment Sector: Emerging Stronger from the COVID-19 Crisis

2020

23-24 November 2020: Third Multi-Stakeholder Policy Dialogue: Accelerating action for Sustainable and Circular Value Chains in Garment & Footwear (online) Report

01 October 2020: Scaling up Sustainable Trade: Strategies, Policies and Technologies for More Sustainable Production and Value Chains (online)

27-28 April 2020: "Second Multi-Stakeholder Policy Dialogue: Accelerating action for Sustainable and Circular Value Chains in Garment & Footwear". Download: Agenda  Report

13 February 2020: "Garment Tech Talk", OECD Conference Center, Paris. Download: Agenda  PPT

11 February 2020: "Policy Approaches for Traceability and Sustainability in Garment", OECD Conference Centre, Paris. Download: Agenda  PPTs  Report

2019

30-31 October 2019: 34th UN/CEFACT Forum - Workshop on “Enhancing Traceability & Transparency of Sustainable Value Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector” in London.  Downloads:  Agenda   Report   Day 1-PPTs   Day 2-PPTs

11-12 September 2019: OECD Global Policy Blockchain Forum – “Looking Past the Hype on Blockchain: Understanding use cases for due diligence in raw material supply chains” in Paris.  Download:  Agenda

11 September 2019: UNECE meeting “Blockchain / distributed ledgers for traceability and due diligence in garment and footwear value chains in a circular economy” in Paris.
Downloads:  Agenda   Report   Background note  PPTs

04 April 2019: 33rd UN/CEFACT Forum - Workshop on “Enhancing Traceability & Transparency of Sustainable Value Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector” in Geneva.
Downloads: Report   PPTs

13 February 2019: OECD Due Diligence Forum – “Promoting Decent Work and Improving Transparency and Traceability for Sustainable Value Chains in the Garment Sector” in Paris.
Download:  Agenda

18 June 2019: European Development Days 2019 – Project Lab on “Ethical clothes = decent work: Enhancing informed consumer choices” in Brussels.
Read proceedings  Download: Agenda

2018

17 October 2018: Hangzhou Forum - Towards a circular economy – Traceability and transparency for Sustainable Value Chains (Use Cases and Examples of Implementation) in Hangzhou.  Download:  Agenda

05 June 2018: EDD 2018 - Lab Debate “Do you know where your clothes come from?” (Proceedings p.69-70) in Brussels.

24 April 2018: 31st UN/CEFACT Forum. Conference on “Traceability for Sustainable Value Chains: Textile and Leather Sector.
Downloads:  Agenda   Report   PPTs

2017

03 October 2017: 30th UN/CEFACT Forum. Conference on “Ethical and informed choices for sustainable clothing …” in Rome.
Download:  Agenda    PPTs

06 June 2017: “The Emperor’s New Clothes

News

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

Join the project

If you wish to take part in UNECE project Enhancing transparency and traceability for sustainable value chains in the garment and footwear industry or require further information, please contact [email protected]
Call for Participation and expression of interest, ToRs

Sub-group 1 - Develops a Policy Recommendation on Traceability and Transparency for Sustainable Value Chains in the Garment and Footwear Industry

Sub-group 2 - Develops Standard for Electronic Information Exchange for the Textile Sector for traceability and transparency of sustainable value chains
(BRS/CCBDA/XML/EDIFACT)

Sub-group 3 - Develops a Standard for Electronic Information Exchange for the Leather Sector for traceability and transparency of sustainable value chains
(BRS/CCBDA/XML/EDIFACT)

Sub-group 4 -  Conducts Pilots, Training and Awareness raising for traceability and transparency of sustainable value chains

Last update date: March 15, 2024