The event is organised by the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) and will take place on 8-9 July at the Westin Denver Downtown.

The panel, scheduled for 9 July, will be moderated by TradeBeyond product & industry consultant vice president Angela Rhea.

Titled “Traceability Across Tiers: From Pilot to Practice,” the session will bring together voices from both retail and manufacturing to share real-world approaches to managing increasingly complex supply chains.

The discussion will address the growing pressure on brands to move from basic data collection to verifiable traceability as regulatory oversight increases.

Key themes for the panel include the current status of traceability efforts among brands, the examination of traceability data for risk and compliance, and supplier training practices.

The panel will also explore how companies use internal escalation frameworks and cross-functional collaboration across legal, compliance, sustainability, and sourcing departments.

Technology requirements and system integration for maintaining scalable, data-driven traceability programmes are set to be part of the agenda.

Rhea commented: “Traceability is no longer a siloed compliance exercise — it’s a cross-functional, data-driven capability that underpins risk management, sourcing decisions, and brand integrity. This session is designed to move beyond theory and share how leading organisations are putting traceability into practice today, including the challenges they face and what’s needed to scale effectively.”

During the conference, TradeBeyond will also provide demonstrations of its platform, with company representatives available to explain how it manages traceability from supplier onboarding and data gathering to analytics and compliance management.

The AAFA’s annual conference attracts professionals working in supply chain, compliance, sustainability, and corporate responsibility.