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From social media over government information and lobbying data all the way to sustainability and supply chains - the demand for transparency is rising in many different sectors. And innovators are answering with software and technology to meet that demand.
There’s the South Korean OPEN system, developed to increase government transparency. Or Lobby Control in Germany, which exposes the influence of lobbyists and fights for a transparent democracy. And then there’s our own Bomler software nSITE*, which enables brands like Solai to connect with consumers who want to look beyond price and see the value offered by the supply chain.
But how exactly can technology provide transparency and why should you invest in software to meet your company’s transparency goals?
We explore the answers to these questions in this article. To talk things through, we use the example of Solai, an eco-friendly, regenerative fashion brand whose goal is to provide consumers with a clear view of their supply chain.
1. Compiling Data in One Place
To allow consumers to track their product along its entire supply chain from supplier to vendor, a brand has to amass and compile a ton of data from many different sources: suppliers, manufacturers, logistics service providers, warehouses, and vendors are only the tip of the iceberg.
If, for example, Solaireceived a customer’s inquiry about where and how a specific dress is made, it’s far easier to let that customer check themselves via software that accesses the sought-after information from a single database, rather than having to access everyone of Solai’s suppliers’ databases individually and getting all that information back to Solai’s client in a clear format.
Having all manufacturers and suppliers inputting their data into a single database makes it a lot easier for interested consumers to access the product-specific information they’re looking for.
To spin this concept further: A transparency software and linked database used by all parties involved - suppliers, brands, vendors, logistics providers, and consumers - can be user-friendly if set up properly. For example:
Suppliers can easily input the material and manufacturing specs into the database.
Brands can search the database for suppliers offering the types of clothing made with the specific criteria they’re looking for.
And consumers can simply scan a QR-code to find out all about a product’s supply chain with one tap.
Imagine, for example, Solai is looking for a new supplier of regenerative fibres to meet the rising demand for eco-friendly clothing items. If they have a database filled with (and by) fabric suppliers, all they would ideally have to do is search for “regenerative fibres” to generate a list of suppliers - instead of researching and then calling every single potential supplier to ask if they offer what Solai is looking for.
Sounds deceptively simple, right? It really is that simple and any brand can benefit from it - including yours.
If you want to offer your eco-conscious customers a technology that works as described above, click here to register for that innovative platform. It was designed to be incredibly user-friendly for everyone using it.
2. Managing Information and Data
Obviously, it’s great if a database compiles all the relevant data in one accessible, user-friendly platform - but good transparency technology goes beyond that by also organizing and analyzing the data and its efficient flow across entities.
Transparency is the step that can only come after information management, opening the collected data up to being published to outside entities. Without proper information management, it would be impossible to provide intuitive, understandable, and accessible transparency.
Effective information management in transparency software will especially contribute to the following factors.
3. Decreasing Complexities
Imagine all the data that accumulates over the entire supply chain of a single shirt, including (but not limited to):
methods of growing and harvesting cotton and other materials involved,
procedures of turning those materials into fabrics, buttons, zippers, etc.,
processes of making and applying dyes,
transportation dates, modes, and locales,
methods of sewing and manufacturing items, and
wages paid to workers along every step of the way.
And that’s just for a single item.
Wading through all that information manually to sort it into something tangible and applicable for a brand’s entire stock is impossible. Supply chains in their entirety are a complex amalgamation of data you couldn’t just dump into a consumer’s lap, even if you wanted to provide them with every single piece of data.
Good transparency software sorts and distils all the data provided, decreasing its complexities into the pertinent information that interests potential buyers, in an easily understandable, manageable way.
4. Closing Information Gaps
Brands and vendors are aware of certain aspects of their supply chains and already communicate them to consumers. Any fashion brand, for example, can tell you the fibre content and country of origin of any item of clothing they sell, because this is all information required to be shown on a clothing item’s tag.
Transparency, though, goes far beyond fibre content and origin country. Consumers who care about sustainability, the health and safety of workers, and understanding where their goods come from, want to know more. Way more. Brands that aim to provide their customers with more have to close the information gaps in their data. A transparency software that provides suppliers with a database to hack all that information into, will close those gaps in the most efficient way possible.
Bomler Software Closes the Gap and Decreases Complexities in a User-Friendly Way
Whether your company is in the fashion sector or otherwise, or whether you’re a brand or a supplier - the Bomler platform provides all the above-mentioned benefits in proving supply chain transparency for all your products.
But don’t just take our word for it - try out our software at Pure London in February! Come to the Solai booth (L14) to see our software in action.
And, we’re offering a 6-month free trial to all suppliers and brands who sign up for Bomler at Pure London. Just ask about it at the Solai booth, and we’ll be happy to provide you with the necessary information.
See you at Pure London.