New mesh designed to create transparency on every product, from the fiber source to the completion of the garment
ARMONK NY, November 16, 2020 / PRNewswire / – IBM (NYSE: IBM) and KAYA & KATO, a textile company that produces uniforms and workwear, today announced the development of a blockchain network for the fashion industry, with the support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Development (BMZ). The network is designed to create transparency about the origin of garments, from the fiber used to the completion of the final product, and to provide consumers with the knowledge that their clothes are produced in a sustainable way.
This new application of blockchain technology to document and trace the fabric supply chain will allow organic cotton suppliers and customers of KAYA and KATO alike to identify the origin and place where the fabrics were processed, as well as to gain an understanding at every stage of production and distribution. The goal is to create transparency and help develop a secure protocol for the traceability of ecological materials. All authorized parties involved will be able to access transaction data recorded in chunks in an immutable record on the chain.
There is a growing demand from consumers to understand the environmental impact of the products they buy. According to a global study conducted this year by the IBM Institute for Business Value in association with the National Retail Federation, 77% of consumers surveyed say sustainability matters to them and 57% said they are willing to change their shopping habits help reduce the negative impact on the environment.
In the apparel industry, these attitudes are more prevalent and more important to young demographics. A recent European consumer survey conducted by Morning Consult, commissioned by IBM, found that 75% of respondents said they were concerned about the level of waste in the fashion industry. Additionally, 64% of respondents said they would be more likely to buy the garment if new technologies could prove sustainability claims.
Many in the fashion industry are working to help address changing consumer attitudes by creating ways to be more transparent about the environmental impact of the materials they use. Blockchain is particularly well suited to help apparel manufacturers and their suppliers work together to create a permanent and immutable record of the origin of all materials used in manufacturing to build trust.
“Blockchain technology is a catalyst for collaboration and transparency across sectors and within supply chains,” he said. Christian Schultze-Wolters, Director of Blockchain, IBM. “Blockchain technology is now being used to increase visibility and agility in supply chains in industries including automotive manufacturing, mining, electronics manufacturing, and even the growing and distribution of many types of food. shared visibility, technology helps to foster trust between companies and their suppliers, businesses and especially their consumers. We want to lead by example in the industry and offer other companies the opportunity to join us in promoting development and help create solutions for the supply chain “.
“Advancing sustainability and digitization is critical to our forward-looking approach. This project combines both aspects in an excellent way by promoting supply chain transparency. For KAYA and KATO, there are multiple compelling reasons to start developing a network. blockchain and we look forward to the implementation and look forward to the first solutions in collaboration with IBM, “says Dr. Stefan Rennicke, co-founder and CEO of KAYA & KATO GmbH.
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has long called for greater transparency in global supply chains and also supports the cooperation between KAYA & KATO and IBM.
KAYA & KATO is one of the first 27 companies to be certified with the “Green Button” by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The Green Button is the seal introduced by BMZ for fabrics produced in a socially and ecologically sustainable way. The Green Button is the first state seal to combine the requirements for textiles and the entire company
For more information on this project, please visit: https://youtu.be/Pb3Dqm2bLu0
For more information on how IBM Blockchain can support supply chain operations, please visit: https://www.ibm.com/blockchain/industries/supply-chain
Learn about IBM Blockchain
IBM is recognized as the leading provider of enterprise blockchains. The company’s research, technical and business experts have broken the barriers in transaction processing speed, developed the most advanced cryptography to secure transactions, and are contributing millions of lines of open source code to advance blockchain for business. . IBM is the leader in open source blockchain solutions built for the business. Since 2016, IBM has worked with hundreds of clients in financial services, supply chain, government, retail, digital rights management, and healthcare to implement blockchain applications and operates a number of networks running live and in production. The cloud-based IBM Blockchain platform offers the end-to-end capabilities that clients need to rapidly activate and successfully develop, manage, govern and secure their corporate networks. IBM is an early member of Hyperledger, an open source collaborative effort created to advance cross-sector blockchain technologies. For more information on IBM Blockchain, visit https://www.ibm.com/blockchain/ or follow us on Twitter at @ibmblockchain.
Survey Methodology: This study was conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of IBM from 11-13 September 2020. The study was conducted on 1,000 UK adults, 1,000 German adults, 1,000 Italian adults and 1,000 Spanish adults. The studies were conducted online and the data was stratified to match a target sample of adults in each country.
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