In the spirit of taking responsible brand action, Ganni has partnered with transparency tech provider Provenance to show its garments’ origins.
Supply chain transparency has been a difficult issue for fashion brands to tackle, as the global supply chains are fragmented and notoriously difficult to track. According to the latest Fashion Transparency Index for 2021, 250 of the world’s largest brands are still scoring at just 23% in transparency progress. However, brands like Ganni have been working on a transparent supply chain with the addition of technology with a launch last week with Provenance.
Through its partnership with Provenance, a transparency tech provider, Ganni is showing that by using data and third-party proof, it can bolster the consumer trust in a brand’s production when many other retailers are struggling to certify their garment origins.
“At Ganni, we always had a tech-first approach to problem-solving. And as climate change is the mother of all problems, we needed tech to help us solve this. Being able to communicate our responsibility efforts and engage with our stakeholders is super important for us to deliver real impact,” said Nicolaj Reffstrup, CEO of Ganni. Ganni’s previous integration of tech has had a positive impact on its bottom line. It saw average annual revenue growth of 50% before 2020.
“We scanned the market for tech solutions that could help us do just that and found Provenance, which we believe will help us tackle an otherwise highly complex, time-consuming and, to some extent, tedious task, and turn it into something relatable,” said Reffstrup.
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Digital technologies are a way to bring back efficiency and communication between suppliers and brands, which could have a ripple effect on the industry’s response to poor pay, climate change and forced labor.
Provenance founder Jessi Baker has been eager to work with Ganni as one of the first fashion brands, as the brand has a flexible model that works well with its technology solution. “Provenance is very much focused on trying to enable consistent, credible transparency, particularly in e-commerce environments. So department stores or fast DTC brands like Ganni were the obvious choices for us to showcase what our technology can do.” Provenance has also worked with denim company Haikure, Tropic skincare and beauty e-tailer Cult Beauty.
The platform is a certified B Corp, working with the highest sustainability standards in the industry. The brand can display supplier information on a map, identify the processes and ingredients that go into each garment, and let consumers access the information on the garments they are purchasing. Each claim on the brand website requires a minimum level of evidence to make it credible, backed up with data from the brand’s supply chain that is recorded on the blockchain. Blockchain allows for the fragmented data to come together on one immutable ledger that displays every contact point in a garment’s production history.
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For Ganni, sustainability is the right path forward, but it’s upfront about not calling itself a sustainable brand. Instead, it focuses on remaining in line with the standards of the three biggest organizations focused on addressing climate change: UNFCCC, NPEC and GFA, It’s also adopted three UN Sustainable Development Goals: gender equality, responsible production and consumption, and climate action. Ganni has used worldwide goals as benchmarks of its mission to make responsible brand choices.
It has also committed to the targets set out for the fashion industry by UNFCCC, NPEC and GFA, regarding how to address the impact caused. Overall, the brand has introduced over 30 initiatives around responsibility, including a take-back program and a rental platform. It’s also increasingly introduced certified organic and recycled fabrics into its collections.
