New digital product passport Aware™ Virtual ID tracks sustainable clothing both virtually and physically on blockchain. For years, clothing labels have been the closest we have come to knowing how our clothes are made. But the fancy sustainability claims often don’t match reality. Amsterdam-based climatech company Aware™ has spent the past three years working on a digital product passport that tracks sustainable textiles both physically and digitally throughout every step of the chain. By doing so, brands can restore consumer trust and track their true environmental impact.
Already existing certification bodies parties are under a lot of pressure, because their way of work leads to errors and fraud. Brands and consumers ask for more transparency and reliability, but existing solutions in the market do not provide an adequate answer. Aware™️ intends to change this by using real data that provides brands and consumers with trustworthy information about the sustainability of the product, thereby stimulating circularity. By doing so brands and consumers can make more conscious choices for the benefit of people and the planet.
Virtual chain linked to textiles
The technology of Aware™ makes it possible to follow and validate every step in the chain. Aware™ does so by mapping the entire brand chain, making it possible for each maker to directly check and share information. Feico van der Veen, founder and Managing Director of Aware™️, which has been active in sustainable fashion for more than 25 years, adds:, “Getting first-hand data ultimately creates a transparent network of makers that can be trusted by both brands and consumers.”
A physical tracer is embedded in the sustainable fiber that can be read by any manufacturing partner in the chain with a special Aware™ hand scanner. Suppliers share proprietary information on the new, public blockchain platform developed by Aware™️. The platform makes sure that all information is available in real time, without third-party intervention. Van der Veen continues: “Our technology is, if you want to use a buzzword, is ‘phygital,’ because textiles are linked one-to-one with a virtual copy.” Fraud is useless because once uploaded, the information is immediately visible and cannot be changed on the public blockchain of Aware™️.
The virtual chain created corresponds to the new EU legislation, which goes into effect by 2030. Consumers can also see the entire chain and its impact on their phones with a scan of a QR code in the label of the sustainable product.
Development of digital product passport and partners
In 2020, the Amsterdam-based company started developing the “Aware™️ Virtual ID” as their digital product passport is named. The platform is now live, after several pilots with launching partners. One of the first brands to use the technology is German sustainable brand Armed Angels. Besides clothing brands, Aware™ also works for players active in promotional products such as global supplier XD Connects (NL) Schijvens (NL) Sols (Fr) and Kariban (FR).
