Sustainability
September 26, 2023
Carbon insetting in fashion supply chains explained
A sustainable approach for brands to reduce emissions.
A client success story of an iconic Italian yarn maker investing in SBP technology to guide its sustainability transition
What you will learn 🎓
- The evolution of sustainability in the fashion industry and the growing importance of data ability
- Why Filmar, a cotton yarn producer, is investing in sustainability measurements and its potential
- How Filmar used Sustainable Brand Platforms digital solutions to showcase their product impacts at international yarn trade shows
About Filmar
Filmar’s history is rooted in the Italian textile industry with the production of high-quality cotton yarns with an Italian feel, since 1958. The company sources its cotton in Egypt, known for being one of the highest quality cotton in the market, has production sites in Italy and Egypt for a total of 46,000 m2 and an annual production of 7 million kg of yarn. With over 50 years of experience and more than 75 employees, Filmar is an established market leader in and outside Italy and is continually penetrating further into global markets and sustainable practices.
Why Filmar is investing in sustainability measurements
In the fashion industry, measuring environmental performance at each stage of the supply chain is highly important in pursuing sustainability and responsible practices - for brands and manufacturers alike.
It is not only crucial for sustainability but also for strengthening their position in a competitive market. As a key player in the textile production process, Filmar can have an impact on limiting the environmental footprint in the fashion industry.
By implementing robust sustainability measurements, manufacturers, yarn and textile companies can assess their resource usage, waste generation, and emissions. Through Sustainable Brand Platforms digital solutions, Filmar gains valuable insights and identifies those areas where sustainable practices can be effectively integrated.
This data-driven approach allows them to pinpoint environmentally sensitive stages, optimize production processes, assess the impact of their operations, and make informed strategic decisions to minimize resource consumption such as water, chemicals, waste(water), energy, and emissions 🌱
Monitoring resource efficients goes beyond promoting sustainability; it also yields substantial cost reductions. By managing raw materials, energy consumption, and production processes, Filmar can reduce waste, optimize production cycles, and achieve higher operational efficiency. It’s a win-win for both: the environment and the business.
Moreover, measuring environmental performances fosters transparency and accountability. Manufacturers who prioritize and showcase their commitment to sustainability can attract like-minded clients and build stronger partnerships.
The rise of data collaboration and legislation requirements
At Sustainable Brand Platform we are witnessing growing attention towards data and the current approach in which brands are inconsistently requesting data from manufacturers is not effective.
Brands are flooding manufacturers with scattered and inconsistent requests making their business life harder. This creates friction in data-based collaboration between brands and manufacturers for two reasons:
- Lack of resources and tools on the manufacturer's end to satisfy these requests
- Lack of control on the manufacturers' side on the data shared and the use that brands will make
➡️ That’s why more and more manufacturers have to equip themselves with a tool to have full ownership of their data that enables all companies in the supply chain to have access and make data-based collaboration faster and more effective.
Through high-quality insights, data owning, and sharing with external stakeholders, manufacturers can take full control of their sustainability performances and become key enablers in the positive transformation of the fashion industry.
Embracing sustainable practices not only enhances Filmar’s brand reputation but also aligns them with the growing global movement towards a greener industry and upcoming textile legislation.
“There is no sustainability without traceability and transparency. Measuring the impact of processes and products is our main goal and a fundamental tool for continuous improvement. Filmar wants to support partners, customers, and brands to be aligned with the upcoming EU legislation that foresees the introduction of a Digital Product Passport for textile products. We are working ahead of time to be ready for that.” - Piera Francesca Solinas, CSR Sustainability Manager of Filmar
How Filmar and Sustainable Brand Platform worked together
Initially, Filmar had two clear objectives:
- To calculate the company's environmental footprint
- To creation three Product iD Cards
💡 Therefore we designed a customized experience for Product iD Cards, precisely addressing Filmar's specific needs. Filmar's primary need was to share data relating to its supply chain quickly and easily with its customers and suppliers. It was essential that this data was transparent and easy to understand.
🔝 The next step for Filmar will involve further use of our LCA module, expanding the number of products for the creation of Product iD Cards. Filmar will directly adopt the LCA software for suppliers, making it possible to calculate the emissions of each product. This initiative aims to further simplify the process and increase efficiency in emissions analysis.
How Filmar showcased its product impacts at international tradeshows
During the yearly international yarn and knitting Pitti Filati Tradesshow 2023 in Florence and FILO Tradeshow in Milan, Italy, Filmar showcased the environmental impacts of three of their products using the Product iD Card by Sustainable Brand Platform.
With this digital tool, they are able to share with current and future customers at the trade shows information like the environmental performances of each value chain phase and process, and insights on the production locations and certifications.
This digital experience gives stand visitors the chance to access environmental details of the production process per product. It guides them through their product journey including all processes, impacts, locations, and external suppliers - all in one place 📲
The Product iD Cards achieved considerable success during the Pitti Event. “It went very well at Pitti and we saw great interest from customers and some in particular.” - Piera Francesca Solinas, CSR Sustainability Manager of Filmar
The Product iD Card leverages Sustainable Brand Platform’s Product Lifecycle Assessment, which automates the calculation of environmental performances of yarns, fabrics, and leather in supply chain manufacturing processes.
This LCA tool is compliant with all international standards (ISO, PEF or EPD), meets the needs of technical and non-technical users, can be scaled depending on your company’s needs, and shows product impacts in a user-friendly interface.
How Sustainable Brand Platform can bring value to your business
Filmar’s success story and pursuit of sustainability in the yarn industry is fortunately one of many. By using technology, shifting data ownership, and relying on scientific methods Sustainable Brand Platform can support fashion brands and manufacturers in:
- Effortless data management
- Strategic decision-making
- Engagement with customers
- Compliance with fashion regulations
📰 Read about Filmar's collaboration with SBP in the press
🤝 Thanks to Marzoli Enrico, owner of Filmar, and Michelle Marzoli, Filmar’s marketing manager, for choosing Sustainable Brand Platform. We’re honored to contribute with our digital solutions to Filmar's journey to innovate the industry and its intent to reduce its carbon emissions.
💡 If you are interested in our digital solutions and want to be the next success story in the fashion industry get in touch with us here.
