Twinset taps TrusTrace for supply chain visibility

Italian fashion company Twinset has launched an initiative to improve the traceability of its supply chains via an alliance with Swedish tech firm TrusTrace.

The 37-year-old brand – which has reportedly been put up for sale by private equity owner Carlyle Group with a price tag of up to €350m – will use TrusTrace's platform to help identify suppliers, support eco-design initiatives, and measure the environmental impact of its products.

The move ties in with efforts by the apparel sector to ramp up the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) credentials of their brands as consumers seek out products with higher ethical and sustainability standards.

Twinset focuses on womenswear with around 100 company-owned stores and a similar number of franchises with revenues estimated to reach around €210m this year.

The fashion house has been working with TrusTrace on the traceability platform since May as part of a three-year drive to "discover sub-suppliers, map and collect data for key value processes, and achieve purchase order-level traceability," said Silvia Zaganelli, Twinset's traceability and business development manager.

It said key objectives are to identify material country of origin, manage supply-chain risks such as forced labour, and enable eco-design by assessing the environmental impact of the product

"By partnering with TrusTrace, Twinset has deepened its commitment to tracing their supply chain in granular detail," said the tech firm's chief executive and co-founder Shameek Ghos.

"Now, they can better understand where and how their clothing is produced, and track each product’s environmental impact – all within one platform," he added.

The initiative will help Twinset prepare for upcoming regulations such as the EU's Digital Product Passport (DPP) – which will be mandatory on textiles sold in the bloc by 2030 – as well as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which requires companies to report on their environmental and social impact.