J.Lindeberg has moved its entire supplier base onto ProductDNA Certificate Manager, Trimco Group's traceability platform, according to FashionUnited UK. The rollout is intended to prepare the Swedish sportswear and lifestyle brand for new European textile regulations.
The move responds to the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which introduces a mandatory digital product passport (DPP) for textile products. Detailed requirements for textiles have yet to be set, but are expected to cover fibre composition, recycled content, chemical compliance and supply chain traceability.
This full-scale rollout would extend a partnership said to have lasted around 20 years, during which Trimco Group reportedly produced J.Lindeberg's care labels, swing tags and packaging, according to FashionUnited UK. Camilla Mjelde, sustainability and C&C director at Trimco Group, said her company originally built ProductDNA for traceability within its own supply chain.
A project tested before wider rollout
Before full integration, the two companies ran a pilot project followed by a review phase, in order to test the data, assess supplier readiness and align the software with evolving European rules. Sofia Bothelius, chief product officer at J.Lindeberg, said that « le projet pilote a permis de renforcer la collaboration avec nos fournisseurs et de s'assurer qu'ils disposaient des bons outils pour délivrer ce dont nous avions besoin pour que le système fonctionne ».
The platform collects supplier certificates and data such as fibre composition, recycled content and chemical compliance, flags missing or inconsistent documents, and links this information to the brand's orders and products. The companies are now mapping suppliers and linking certificates and factory audits to the specific products and orders they relate to.
For Camilla Mjelde, this work illustrates a wider challenge for the sector: « la plupart des marques sont sur le point de faire face à la tâche que J.Lindeberg a entamée tôt ». She added that « le travail sur les données est bien plus facile lorsqu'il est confié à un partenaire déjà profondément intégré dans la chaîne d'approvisionnement ».
What's next
Both companies describe this rollout as an ongoing project, which will be adapted as European regulations evolve.
