1.3 EU Product Passport & RFID

European Commission’s Eco-design for Sustainable Products Regulation: 

On March 30, 2022, the European Commission introduced a proposal for the Eco-design for Sustainable Products Regulation. This proposal aligns with the EU Green Deal and aims to promote environmentally sustainable and circular products. 

Digital Product Passports (DPPs): 

• Definition: DPPs are digital records containing comprehensive information about a product’s lifecycle, covering aspects like product identifiers, material composition, performance, and environmental and social data. 
• Purpose: Proposed as a secure and standardised method for sharing product information throughout the entire value chain. 
• Access: Information in DPPs can be accessed via physical identifiers such as QR codes or RFID chips at any point upstream or when the product enters the EU market. 

Challenges and Opportunities: 

Challenges: 

• Data Privacy and Confidentiality: Concerns about maintaining the privacy and confidentiality of the data contained in DPPs. 
• Regulatory Uncertainty: Uncertainty related to regulatory frameworks governing the implementation of DPPs. 
• Interoperability: Challenges related to data and technology interoperability. 
• Implementation Costs: The potential high costs associated with implementing DPPs. 

Opportunities: 

• Innovation: Challenges can drive innovation in developing secure and efficient DPP systems. 
• Collaboration: Stakeholders can collaborate to address challenges and contribute to the successful implementation of DPPs. 
• Growth: The adoption of DPPs can lead to growth opportunities in industries that support and innovate around this new system. 

Adapted from: https://gs1.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/The-DPP-ApparelTextile-Industry-Briefing-Document.pdf; https://www.wbcsd.org/contentwbc/download/15584/226479/1  

Best practices related to EU Product Passport & RFID 

Best practices: Hul Le Kes, Armedangels, Amarossa, tex.tracer, Zara x Jetlore 

Name:	Hul le Kes
Link:	www.hullekes.com
Industry sector:	RFID & Product Passport, Circular Business Models, Design for Reducing and Reusing Waste, Sustainable Textiles
Location:	Arnhem
Description:	Hul le Kes operates as a fully circular fashion label, focusing on sustainable alternatives within the fashion industry. The brand employs an in-house Manufacturing Studio and Recovery Studio, sells through its flagship store, webshop, and resellers, ensuring a continuous life cycle for its products. Hul le Kes prioritizes the use of existing materials, such as old bed linens, antique tablecloths, and secondhand clothes, sourced from flea markets, recycling companies, or donations. The design process is driven by the materials, resulting in limited series and unique garments. The brand follows natural seasons for its dyeing process, using plant-based materials. It also offers mending and repair services, as well as a clothing passport.
Impact in numbers:	95% of materials are recovered from existing materials
Environmental benefits:	Hul le Kes contributes to environmental sustainability by minimizing the use of new resources, actively seeking materials within Western Europe, and employing natural dyeing processes with items like onion peels and avocado seeds. The in-house upcycling process reduces waste and environmental impact, while the brand’s Repair Friday initiative offers a sustainable alternative to traditional shopping events. By offering Dyeing and Mending Services, Hul le Kes provides options for extending the lifecycle of garments
Social & economic benefits:	Provides employment opportunities to people with a distance to the labor market. The clothing passport adds a personal touch, allowing wearers to contribute to the narrative of their garments and share stories.
Other remarks:	Practices upcycling existing materials, which is a key aspect of material cyclability. By extending the lifecycle of garments through innovative design and manufacturing processes, they contribute significantly to the concept of circular fashion​​.

Name:	Armedangels – Sustainable production brand
Link:	https://www.armedangels.com/wo-en  https://directory.goodonyou.eco/brand/armedangels
Industry sector:	EU Product Passport & RFID, Sustainable fabrics, Design for Longevity
Location:	Germany
Description:	Armedangels is a German fashion brand that is dedicated to creating sustainable and ethically produced clothing. They prioritize transparency, fair labor practices, and environmentally friendly materials.  One notable best practice employed by Armedangels is their use of organic and eco-friendly materials. They prioritize certified organic cotton, which requires less water and fewer chemicals compared to conventional cotton production. They also utilize other sustainable materials such as Tencel® lyocell and recycled fibers, reducing their environmental impact.  Transparency is another key aspect of Armedangels’ sustainability practices. They provide detailed information about their supply chain and production processes, including the factories they work with and the certifications they hold. This transparency allows consumers to make informed decisions and understand the social and environmental impact of their purchases. The full production process is available to the user through an app that allows the full tracing of the product.   Armedangels also emphasizes longevity and durability in their designs. They focus on creating timeless and high-quality garments that are meant to last, discouraging fast fashion consumption patterns. By encouraging customers to invest in long-lasting pieces, they reduce the overall environmental impact of the fashion industry.
Impact in numbers:	Member of GOTS, FairWear Foundation and Responsible Wool Standard
Environmental benefits:	sustainable production with lowered waste and emissions, use of sustainable materials, transparency and traceability
Social & economic benefits:	Ethical working conditions, open information to the public to empower their sustainable decision-making process
Technological & innovative benefits:	An app that allows tracing and tracking of the production of an item, and delivers the information to the user in an easy, quick and understandable manner  (circularity.ID)

Name:	Amarossa
Link:	https://www.peronshoes.it https://amarossa.com/
Industry sector:	EU Product Passport & RFID, Design for Material Cyclability
Location:	Camponogara (VE) – Italy
Description:	Peron is a small luxury footwear factory in the north of Italy. It has recently started on-demand production of its own brand Amarossa, a sustainable and ecological shoe, with zero environmental impact. At the end of its use, each model can be completely dismantled, regenerated and put back into cycle. For this reason, only 100% recyclable, green and eco-sustainable materials are used in its production.
Impact in numbers:	Zero environmental impact, since all materials are 100% recyclable, compostable and biodegradable.
Environmental benefits:	·   A Green approach: all materials are 100% recycled, compostable and biodegradable. ·   At the end of its use, each model can be completely dismantled, regenerated and put back into cycle. ·   Packaging: 100% recyclable. ·   Free return policy: Returning a pair of used Amarossa is completely free.
Social & economic benefits:	100% Made in Italy production: each shoe is conceived, designed and manufactured by artisans in Italy, thus providing employment for local workers.
Technological & innovative benefits:	The company uses Blockchain Certificate, which moves along EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) promoted by the EU (see Dir. 2018/851/EU). All shoes are equipped with 2 RFID identifying tags, associated with an NFC tag, readable by bringing a mobile phone closer to the shoe right sole. When the NFC is read, a web page opens with all the shoe data and any other useful piece of information.

Name:	tex.tracer
Link:	https://www.tex-tracer.com/
Industry sector:	EU Product Passport & RFID
Location:	Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Description:	tex.tracer provides a transparency platform for the fashion supply chain, enabling brands, retailers, and supply chain partners to collect and verify primary source data. It offers solutions like Digital Product Passports and footprint data collection, promoting informed decisions and compliance with environmental and social regulations.
Impact in numbers:	Over 100 brands onboarded Over 30 million items traced More than 1,500 supply chain partners registered Active in more than 25 countries
Environmental benefits:	tex.tracer helps brands know their products’ environmental impacts by collecting lifecycle assessment data, which aids in reducing waste and fostering sustainable practices within the supply chain.
Social & economic benefits:	By using tex.tracer, brands can comply with laws and regulations, reducing workload and preparing for future supply chain challenges. This compliance and transparency lead to increased brand value and consumer trust, positioning these brands as responsible entities that care for the world.
Technological & innovative benefits:	tex.tracer utilizes blockchain technology for data notarization, ensuring the accuracy and security of the supply chain data. It empowers brands to communicate verified supply chain data to consumers through on-product QR codes or webshop plugins, enabling a more educated and transparent consumer decision-making process.

Name:	Zara x Jetlore AI
Link:	Hyperlink
Industry sector:	AI & Digitalization in fashion production, EU Product Passport & RFID
Location:	Spain
Description:	Zara has integrated AI across its operations, including supply chain and customer engagement. By collaborating with Jetlore, Zara predicts customer behavior using structured predictive attributes, enhancing inventory visibility with RFID tags, and optimizing logistics to maintain a competitive edge in the fast fashion industry.
Environmental benefits:	The use of AI and real-time data analytics in Zara’s Just-In-telligent supply chain system allows for real-time optimization of inventory and logistics, leading to reduced waste and more available popular items.
Social & economic benefits:	Zara’s strategic use of AI has led to improved customer satisfaction and loyalty. Their approach to managing the supply chain with AI has resulted in reduced lead times, improved delivery accuracy, and minimized inventory costs, contributing to economic efficiency and customer retention.
Technological & innovative benefits:	Zara’s holistic approach to AI includes collaboration with technology partners like Tyco and Jetlore, embedding microchips into clothing tags for inventory management, and using sophisticated logistics systems. This enables Zara to rapidly respond to market trends and consumer demands, showcasing a benchmark application of AI in retail operations.