Digital labelling on apparel items will accelerate sustainability, prevent counterfeit.
Digital labelling can significantly cut labeling waste and help in decarbonization efforts of the local apparel sector, said the industry insiders.
Moreover, it will also play an effective role in controlling the manufacturing of counterfeit products since every input of the finished goods is expected to come under the digital labeling where all the parties in the supply chain will be identifiable.
They also said that it will thus enable the industry to better protect intellectual property rights (IPR).
Fashion industry is one of the largest polluters of the environment and it is estimated that conventional labelling waste is emitting around 343,000 MT of carbon dioxide.
Moreover, every year about 9.17 million kilometres of label tape is produced for the global fashion industry’s requirement which is enough to stretch between the earth and the moon twelve times each year.
In this regard, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) is currently planning to introduce a Quick Response (QR) code label instead of conventional labels to check counterfeit products in the local and global markets and to facilitate sustainability.
BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said that it is their innovation and they have already started discussing it with the brands and buyers.
In a recent statement, he urged the international and local governments to modernize their domestic fashion labeling requirements and support the use of more sustainable and digital labels.
Digital technology solutions such as QR code labels can play a vital role in the shifting to the use of digital labels which would significantly reduce labeling waste, he remarked.
Moreover, reacting to the growing interest by consumers to receive information digitally, governments around the world are embracing digital approaches such as the proposed EU digital product passport.
In this regard, he urged the governments to amend national regulations to allow the adoption of fully digital labeling.
“BGMEA has aligned itself with its sustainability vision of 2030 which promotes sustainability, circularity and transparency in the global fashion supply chain,” Hassan also said.
A fully digital labeling solution would cut manufacturing cost and thus make fashion more competitive and affordable; this would also reduce lead time and enable consumers to access more detailed information about the products they purchase, which will ensure transparency and traceability of products, he added.
Shovon Islam, managing director of Sparrow Group, said earlier that apparel manufacturers currently put 3-8 tags/labels in a piece of clothing to meet the buyers’ requirements like manufacture country name, brand name, product quality, washing procedure, product details and which chemicals and materials are used in the product.
“We have to involve 4-5 workers to attach these labels to an item which costs at least $0.5 including label prices per item,” he said, adding that all information can be put on a single label using a QR code which will reduce manpower loss and production costs.
He also said that they have developed a model, where manufacturers will be able to include all kinds of information.
“If a consumer wants to know about the product details, they would be able to find out everything by simply scanning the QR code,” he added.
If the brands use the QR code label, counterfeiting will decline and the brands and authorities will easily be able to know the origin of the goods.
The initiative came at a time when the US Trade Representative (USTR) said — based on allegations from the Paris-based Union des Fabricants and the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) — that counterfeit clothes and other export goods are coming from Bangladesh.
Shovon said that they have already talked to several brands and AAFA about this and their response is positive.
However, there are also some challenges including the laws of the destination countries would have to be changed and it may take more time, he added.
BGMEA Director Mohiuddin Rubel said also that it will be a very good, but challenging move and will take time.
Bangladesh is the world’s second-largest apparel exporter and exported $42.61 billion worth of goods in FY22.
