We have said it many times here at TrusTrace, but we will still repeat it again: the ability to gather and share accurate, meaningful supply chain data is no longer optional – it is a strategic imperative. For apparel and footwear companies navigating fragmented and often burdensome data requests, this year’s playbook, The Data Advantage, offers a powerful solution. In this edition you will find a clear, collaborative, and complete framework to data collection that strengthens both compliance and sustainability outcomes for suppliers and brands.
Why Smarter Data Collection Matters
The increasing scrutiny against fashion and textile companies seems relentless as regulators, investors, and consumers continue to demand changes in policy and business transparency. Stakeholders across the value chain are being asked to disclose granular information about facilities, processes, materials, and suppliers. But here is the problem: the current approach to data is chaotic and overwhelming. It burdens suppliers with duplicative and inconsistent data requests, and it leaves brands with low-quality data that is neither timely nor actionable.
The Data Advantage Playbook confronts this challenge head-on. Instead of chasing endless spreadsheets, this guide proposes a new mindset: gather fewer, but more meaningful, data points.
The Playbook’s Highlights
This Playbook is a strategic blueprint for transforming your approach to data. We’ve learned over the years from the North American and EU regulations enforced, but more importantly developed the framework in this playbook through collaboration with brands and industry stakeholders, piloting real functional solutions like the Digital Product Passport.
It includes:
The TrusTrace Compliance Canvas™
At the heart of the Playbook is the Compliance Canvas, a comprehensive compliance data framework that outlines the minimum viable data set necessary for apparel and footwear companies to comply with today’s leading laws, regulations, and directives. Categorized by data type and source, this canvas is like the periodic table for compliance with 8 key groups of regulations, comprising 16 regulations in total.helps stakeholders understand not just what data to collect but where to get it and why it matters.
Brand and Supplier Insights
Benefit from firsthand insights and interviews with leading brands, suppliers, and industry organisations. This section delves into common challenges on the road to Science Based Targets and emerging best practices around data collection from leading global brands and manufacturers. Get insights on the limitations of current systems and the growing role of digital traceability in achieving climate and compliance targets.
The Executive Briefing
Get a macro-level view of the policy and risk landscape. Learn about the rise in strategic climate litigation and shifting regulatory expectations, and how data collected for compliance can be leveraged to better manage social and environmental risk and impact.
Who Should Read It
Whether you are on a sustainability team trying to prove your carbon reduction claims, a sourcing manager working to validate Tier 2 facility data, or a compliance officer decoding CSRD and EUDR obligations, this Playbook is built for you. It is also a valuable resource for supply chain technology providers, industry organizations, and educational institutions shaping the next generation of responsible business leaders.
Right data, not more
Business resilience does not come from collecting more data; it comes from collecting the right data in the right way. The Data Advantage Playbook helps you do exactly that. Download The Data Advantage Playbook and make data your advantage in managing supply chain risk, compliance, and impact. GET YOUR COPY.
