Since 2004, Dutch non-profit Made-By has aimed to expand the market for environmentally and socially conscious fashion by facilitating sustainable production processes and then giving brands a way to share their product stories with consumers.
First, Made-By helps a company develop a sustainable supply chain from the acquisition of raw-materials through the production chain so the process is sustainable from start to finish. According to a post in Springwise Newsletter, June 17, 2009, "Member brands use organic cotton and work with sewing factories that have a social code of conduct; to proclaim their participation, they identify their clothing with a small blue button placed near the care-instructions label."
Next, Made-By allows consumers to see the member brands story lines through their Track & Trace database system. The database is populated at each stage of the production chain when the supplier updates information about their function in the supply chain. Made-By verifies these entries and keeps photos ad brand information updated.
Manufacturers supply a unique code on the labels of the items they manufacture. Consumers can enter the code into Track & Trace and follow the production chain, even factory locations through a connection with Google Maps.
Made-By also publishes online scorecards and an annual report showing the proportion of each brands product that is made sustainably.
One of the biggest challenges to living a sustainable life is information. Made-By puts that information in a one-stop, accessible application, making it easier for the consumer to make informed choices. Thumbs up for Made-By.
--till next week Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew.
5 comments:
Communication and spreading the word is the most important part of any movement. With Made-By we are able to connect with consumers and let them know about pesticides and horrible water pollution and the safer ways to process fabrics. Knowledge is power and without knowing it consumers are destroying the environment one sweater at a time. By using Made-by consumers will be able to understand the company they are buying products from better and feel good about themselves by making a good shopping choice that will not only enrich they're life but others as well because he/she had a helping hand in bettering the environment. I truly believe that with made-by we will be able to inform consumers about fabric processing pollution and put a stop to it. Grant-it might take time, considering it is usually more expensive to produce fabrics in a safer manner and with people now a days everything is about the bottom line. But I believe it is possible. If more people were notified/informed I believe the amount of participation and acceptance of these new ways of doing things will increase dramatically.
I strongly agree with Bridget in that it is extremely important to communicate with consumers and keep them informed and in return this will stimulate these consumers to alter their lifestyles. I was especially intrigued by the Track&Trace service offered by Made-by. This instantly reminded me of tracing a package through ups or any other service and because of that I felt comfortable with the idea. However, as I was reading more about the service I read something that turned me away from it. It said that Made-by “can’t guarantee that all their clothes have been manufactured in a 100% clean and honest way”. At first I thought, how can this company successfully inform consumers about this subject without having built a trust with their consumers? I also thought about how if someone was trying to get me to alter my lifestyle, how I would want to be certain about the changes I was making and positive that I was actually changing something for the better. Then I began to realize how this flaw is actually a positive for learning more about being environmentally and socially conscious. It shows consumers how many steps it takes to create sustainable, honest apparel and how it is important each of these contributing in a sustainable and ethical way. It also shows exactly where we still need to continue to make changes in order to get to a time and point where Made-by can 100% guarantee all their clothes were manufactured in a clean and honest way. By informing consumers about how far we have come and also about how much further we need to come to complete this goal, we can spread awareness on the issue and show how important it is to understand where your apparel is coming from in order to truly change your lifestyle.
http://www.made-by.nl/tracktrace.php?lg=en
The Made-By system makes eco-friendly shopping easier. I think the most intimidating thing about "going green" is that it seems too complicated or out of reach. This technology takes the guessing work out of it clarifies each step of the manufacturing process. Made-by helps both the company and the consumer simplify the process which is really all that is keeping us from being more environmentally and socially conscious. I think it will also help that the consumer can be involved in the process and enter the code themselves into the database. So many technologies are being interactive today that it only makes sense for this innovation to apply to sustainable shopping.
This idea reminds me of a similiar project called "where is george" where certain dollar bills are stamped with a code and the whereisgeorge website and once you have that bill in your possesion you can log onto the website with the particular code and see where the dollar has been and also add your location to the list. I think this is done as a form of entertainment however the made-by use for this similar system seems very helpful in letting us know every point of our clothings points of origin and the companies level of sustainability in the particular garment. great idea!
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