Brazilian worker welfare organisation Instituto Alinha is employing blockchain technology to ensure traceability of garment production processes and fair working conditions.
The social business connects entrepreneurs and owners of small garment factories with brands and designers to ensure fair prices and production time.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Member brands then have access to certified garment factories, with the Alinha Tag blockchain technology ensuring both transparency and traceability, and providing consumers with production information and the story behind their clothing items.
Brands register and subscribe to access the Alinha Tag and then input information about the clothing items into the system, such as the name of the producing factory. Once the factory owner receives the order and approves it, the product is given a blockchain-generated tracking code. Brands then download the Alinha Tag with the tracking code to be included in the clothing item.
Via the Instituto Alinha website, consumers can insert the code indicated on the Alinha Tag for full information about how and where the product was made and its journey.
According to local publication Meio&Mensagem, the technology is the result of a collaboration between Instituto C&A and Instituto Alinha. In addition to the obvious benefit to workers and customers, it also allows those who use the workshops to track their orders and better manage production.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataBlockchain is fast becoming an area of interest for the apparel industry, with several firms employing the technology to boost transparency initiatives.
At the beginning of the year, Levi Strauss said it was piloting the technology at three of its factories in Mexico to support worker well-being.
While apparel labelling and RFID specialist Avery Dennison teamed up with software provider Evrythng to launch a ‘track to rack’ blockchain technology solution aimed at meeting the demand for greater transparency and traceability in the apparel industry.
Target Corp has also been working on an open-source blockchain project since mid-2018 to help track its supply chain.
