Traceability from Fibre to Finished Product
An increased number of our products now carry a Digital ID, a 'virtual passport' that holds the details of a product's journey from fibre to finished item.
In 2021, HM King Charles’s Sustainable Markets Initiative’s (SMI’s) Fashion Taskforce launched this ground-breaking concept to improve traceability in the luxury fashion sector.
Since 2022, it has been a reality for us.
A Digital ID is a QR code inside a product, revealing information about its provenance and how to care for it. This next-level traceability allows customers to understand a product's journey from raw materials to store and, as a result, make considered buying decisions.
The SMI’s Fashion Taskforce is a group committed to leading and encouraging the global fashion, textile and apparel sectors, working to accelerate the transition towards a more sustainable future. The Fashion Taskforce created the Digital ID system designed to inform consumers of the sustainability credentials of their garments through the development of verifiability around what can be considered a sustainable fashion product. The group is also exploring how regenerative farming practices across raw materials can reverse the damage being done to the planet.
The Fashion Taskforce operates as an industry sub-group of the SMI and is chaired by Federico Marchetti, Founder of the YOOX Net-a-Porter Group. Its members are drawn from across a range of brands, platforms and retailers from all over the world, including Johnstons of Elgin, Aura Blockchain Consortium, Brunello Cucinelli, Burberry, Chloé, Eon, Gabriela Hearst, Giorgio Armani, Moda Operandi, Mulberry, Selfridges, Stella McCartney, The Dubai Mall, Vestiaire Collective and Zalando.
...this new Digital ID shows how business is committed to meaningful, measurable change, providing customers with the information they need to make cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable choices.- HM King Charles III
At the time of the concept’s launch, HM King Charles III said, ‘People have the right to know if what they buy is created sustainably, and there is a responsibility to tell them if we truly believe in the shared principles of transparency, accountability and enforcement. Fashion is one of the most polluting sectors in the world, but this new Digital ID shows how business is committed to meaningful, measurable change, providing customers with the information they need to make cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable choices. It shows that business doesn't just talk about these issues but has taken action.’
Johnstons of Elgin’s Digital ID products include our men’s Balmacaan Coat in Bracken & Cashmere Donegal Cable Round Neck Sweater. Women's Digital ID products include our Crochet Stitch Donegal Cashmere Cardigan and Ombré Cashmere Stoles in seasonal shades.
Full details of the origins of their fibres, and details such as the Balmacaan Coat’s lining, thread and buttons are contained in the Digital ID.
At the launch of the Digital ID concept in Rome, Chair of the Fashion Taskforce Federico Marchetti said, ‘The time for only talk is over. In such a highly competitive industry, it is unprecedented for so many different brands and platforms from all around the world to work together on a single innovative solution, and I am delighted to say this commitment is the result of an incredible group of companies and their leaders who recognize there is no time left to lose in transitioning the industry to a more transparent and sustainable footing.
This Digital ID provides a genuine opportunity for consumers to make truly sustainable choices when they are making their purchases. In an industry that needs to do so much more to improve its impact on the environment, this is a huge step forward and only the beginning of the Taskforce’s journey.’
Discover more about our commitment to sustainability on our Hub.
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