MILAN — As the pandemic has accelerated the digital push and further awakened consumers’ environmental and social consciousness, many companies are tapping both trends to shape the fashion industry of the future.
Italy’s Idee Brand Platform, for one, has developed an online destination, dubbed the Sustainable Brand Platform, that uses blockchain technology to offer environmental and ethical ratings for international emerging fashion brands.
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Set to launch on Monday, the project intends to support indie labels in assessing and cataloging their sustainable assets, as well as enhancing their visibility by connecting them with international retailers and consumers.
“This platform has to serve, first and foremost, this industry’s operators such as buyers… also in terms of scouting activity, as their job has become increasingly complex,” said Alex Albini, Idee Brand Platform founder and chief executive officer.
This is one of the key differences that Albini says differentiates his project from the Australian ethical fashion rating app Good On You. Defined by Albini as a benchmark in this area, Good On You is more oriented to final consumers, whereas Sustainable Brand Platform intends to answer the demands of novelty, sustainability and transparency of both retailers and customers.
Another point of difference resides in “the blockchain technology we apply to link all the information that are essential to evaluate a brand and claim it as sustainable,” Albini said.
In particular, the web site rates brands’ commitment and results in terms of sustainability and social corporate responsibility by examining the different phases of their value chains, including the sourcing of raw materials, production processes, packaging and logistics, as well as the company’s “giving back” strategy and charity commitment.
Focusing on objective and qualitative criteria, the rating takes into consideration elements including the number of international certifications obtained by each company and details on productive and distributive processes. Each label will also have the opportunity to highlight the sustainable goals it has set for the future in the dedicated “Agenda 2030” box.
Featuring an intuitive and minimal layout, each brand’s page will additionally showcase key background information and direct links to the respective web site and social media accounts.
Companies can register on the web site upon payment, but their sustainability claims still have to be vetted first.
“There’s a process of brand selection that is essential to investigate the real commitment of a label in sustainability and to avoid any case of greenwashing,” said Albini. Currently, three people are dedicated to evaluating companies’ assets as well as to overall scouting activities, which are mainly pursued through direct contacts and online researches.