Attaining Product Level Forward Traceability for Textile & Fashion : Using Block Chain based Traceability Solutions

The purpose of this thesis is to explore how to enable forward traceability of textile and fashion products at product level, using BC based traceability solutions. The study finds that within TC industry, forward traceability using available technologies (RFIDs, NFCs, QR codes ) is technically possible, however there could be impending regulatory, legal, technical implications of using these technologies. These implications may result in a slew of added compliance requirements, risk assessments and resources allocations from brands and retailers. As a result, this study uncovered that using QR codes with BC technology offers a suitable forward traceability solution which has the potential to set off most of the implications explored during this study. Moreover, to attain forward traceability at product levels, a complete mechanism involving readiness from customers, suppliers and all other stake holders is required. All these stake holders need to be connected to the central BC network, where data is protected and made tamper proof. Lastly, forward tracing at product levels is a futuristic concept, as TC industry is still majorly focused on the backward traceability, however this study finds that forward traceability at product levels may pave its way as a beneficial component of overall sustainability