Digital product passports are only as dependable as the information behind them, according to a new white paper from EIM by Jeanologia and fashion traceability platform BCome. The report outlines how real measurements from denim finishing can be included in a garment’s environmental assessment.
EIM measures finishing processes at the factory, including water and energy use, chemicals and worker health. BCome combines those figures with information about other stages of a garment’s supply chain to build a broader life-cycle assessment.
The case study compares a 100 percent cotton jean finished with a conventional stone wash and potassium permanganate spray with one made using Jeanologia’s Atmos technology, a finishing process that uses air to create denim effects. Factory measurements for Atmos showed 96.3 percent less water consumption, 20.8 percent lower energy use and 38.2 percent fewer process-related emissions. Chemical impact fell by 77 percent, while the worker health indicator improved by 93 percent.
The EIM Score, which rates the impact of the finishing process, dropped from 78 points—classified as high impact—to 17 points, classified as low impact. When the data was incorporated into the garment’s life-cycle assessment, which also covered cutting, sewing, assembly and packaging, the study found reductions of 1.99 percent in global warming impact, 1.18 percent in water scarcity impact and 9.88 percent in marine eutrophication.
The white paper argues that a QR code or digital product sheet alone does not ensure that a passport contains trustworthy information. Data needs to be linked to the product, structured and supported by reliable sources. The report also says more representative production data can help brands compare manufacturing options and inform their decisions.
“We need to understand what lies behind the product, connect the different stages and get the whole chain speaking the same language. Measure to understand, compare and improve,” said Begoña García, EIM’s director.
Sources: WWD.