Traces: a new label option
Traces is a socio-environmental label introducing the results of the cooperation project between the Ministry of the Environment and of Land and Sea Protection (IT), Instituto e (BR), Osklen (BR) and Fórum das Américas (BR) to measure and assess the environmental and social impact of the lifecycle of six clothing items.
Environmental data was collected using the Carbon Footprint method. For each of the six products, technical visits were performed to the companies in the different production pipelines to collect environmental information on materials, manufacturing processes, and transportation.
Social data was collected and processed through visits to the companies and a questionnaire. In particular, the social issues that have a positive impact on the population and the environment were identified starting from the criteria set by the Millennium goal and from the criticalities observed for each region of operation of the companies in the six production pipelines.
The processing of the collected data and the assessment of the end results highlighted the environmental benefits of the six products, which mostly result from the decision of Osklen to use environmentally sustainable materials and companies involved in social activities.
The goal of Traces is to allow consumers to learn, upon buying, about the history of a product, as well as about its peculiarities, including the types of materials used, their origin, the inclusion of social activities in the process, and its environmental impact.
Traces is the first international experience aimed at driving companies beyond the “economic value” of products and towards a “sustainability value” (in economic, environmental, and social terms).
The end project was introduced in last June in São Paulo with an exhibition and a conference, on occasion of the São Paulo Fashion Week.