About
Clothing is one of the biggest industries in the world economy, producing 80 billion garments and providing jobs to more than 60 million people globally. The industry supply chain is mostly driven by big retailers, while the majority of suppliers are SMEs that have not yet embraced sustainability. The Conference held in Rome in the context of the 30th UN/CEFACT Forum (as a follow up to the brainstorming session at the 2017 European Development Days) discussed the tracking and tracing of sustainable clothing.
The lack of complete and transparent information about where and by whom materials are sourced, transformed and assembled, the effects on the environment and human health of practices and processes, and the conditions of workers, are all key gaps across the supply chain. Improving traceability has therefore become a priority for the industry, in order to manage its supply chains more efficiently and sustainably. Successful work within the agri-food sector by UN/CEFACT on traceability for sustainable trade of agri-food products, has confirmed the potential benefits associated with more transparent and traceable supply chains, and provides useful experiences and tools from which the clothing industry can draw upon.
Outcomes
The Conference:
- Discussed the key findings of the UNECE draft background research paper on transparency in textile value chains in relation to circularity for sustainability, and the environmental, social and human health impacts of parts, components and production processes
- Received input from experts in trade facilitation and textile supply chains, as well as the latest traceability solutions including blockchain technology for a project involving a UN track and trace standard for the textiles business chain
- Received specific recommendations to launch a project on an international framework initiative on traceability for sustainable clothing: Textile4SDG12
Organizers
This Conference was organised by UNECE in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, Netherlands Enterprise Agency, and Cittadellarte Fashion B.E.S.T.
Downloads:
Presentations
Italian Trade Agency – Piergiorgio Borgogelli, Director General
UNECE – Maria Teresa Pisani, Acting Chief, Sustainable Trade
The Netherlands – Frans van Diepen, National Service for Enterprises, Ministry of Economic Affairs
Cittadellarte Fashion B.E.S.T, Paolo Naldini, Director
Bocconi University, Francesca Romana Rinaldi, Director Master in Brand and Business Management
GS1 – Markus Mueller, Director Industry Engagement Apparel & General Merchandise, Global Office
ITC - Joseph Wozniak, Head Trade4SustainableDevelopment Program
UNEP – Sandra Averous, Programme Officer Sustainable Lifestyles, Cities and Industry Branch
REDA Group – Fabrizio Goggi, Director, Global Communication
Wageningen University - Lan Ge, Researcher
Cittadellarte, Fashion B.E.S.T, Roberto Mollica, Senior Adviser
Manus Loci - Elisabetta Lattanzio Illy – CEO and Founder
The Netherlands – Niki Dieckmann, National Service for Enterprises, Ministry of Economic Affairs
BerBrand – Emanuele Bertoli, CEO
Italian Ministry of Economic Development – Oriana Perrone, Economic Division
Italian Fashion system – Textile and Fashion Federation – Alessandra Guffanti, President
Fendi Group – Elisabetta Facco, Press Officer
WRAD Living - Matteo Ward – CEO and Co-founder
Aite Group – Enrico Camerinelli, Senior Analyst
UNCTAD - Teresa Moreira, Head, Competition and Consumer Policies Branch
Video Presentations
Italian Trade Agency – Piergiorgio Borgogelli, Director General
Cittadellarte Fashion B.E.S.T, Paolo Naldini, Director
GS1 – Markus Mueller, Director Industry Engagement Apparel & General Merchandise, Global Office
ITC - Joseph Wozniak, Head Trade4SustainableDevelopment Program
REDA Group – Fabrizio Goggi, Director, Global Communication
Manus Loci - Elisabetta Lattanzio Illy – CEO and Founder