During the last edition of Kingpins Amsterdam, Transformers Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides denim suppliers with a platform to share expertise and opinion on industry threats and solutions, launched Transformer Transparency Tool (TTT), a new measuring tool that can help manufacturing companies from the denim value chain measure their impact.
Miguel Sanchez, director, Transformers Foundation, explained what the tool is about.
TTT is an application that is set to calculate the required inputs–in terms of water and energy–and generated outputs–liquid, GHG and solid waste–along the supply chain to produce a denim article.
The range of information this application can collect goes from the fiber until the garment finishing, with detailed granularity at the level of process step. The tool works with raw data. This means that results are not measured in terms of scores or ratings. TTT measures impacts of production of denim yarn warps, fabrics and garments.
How are these data collected?
TTT is primarily based on self-assessment data by the user, complemented with information provided by the Transformers Foundation, with details from expert databases for aspects such as energy mix of countries where the calculating mill is located. The two modules that
TTT considers two modules in its calculations: TTT Product Calculation for each process step, and TTT Product Mapping, to measure the Eco Balance along the supply chain, including transport for each movement of goods from one location to the next one.
Did you already start testing the app?
We have been successfully testing the tool with relevant mills and laundries, but also with denim brands, as we would like them to use and specify TTT along their supply chains.
When will the app be available?
The service is already available for mills that want to subscribe. We are approaching different mills for agreement and intend to expand the list to include the leaders in the denim supply chain.
The approach of TTT is humble, but it intends to be accurate and easy to work with. Therefore, TTT will be in a continuous evolving to be gradually more accurate and comprehensive in the type of data that it will give.
Who can use this service? Is it upon invitation only? Or can a mill or brand adhere it voluntarily?
Any mill can use the service right away as there is no need to have an invitation by the Transformers Foundation for this.
The mill is to request access to TTT for a list of representatives of the company. We are currently introducing the tool to a group of mills to start with, but we invite all fabric factories, laundries and brands to contact the Foundation for a first introduction call.
Is the tool only devised for the denim segment, or also aimed more widely to the fashion and textile apparel market?
The tool has been defined primarily to be used on denim supply chains. The same principle may be used for other segments of the apparel industry–and perhaps other industries–with the necessary adjustments.
Denim is an important segment in itself to develop a specific tool to help calculate impacts of production. TTT is the proposal by the Transformers Foundation to measure inputs and outputs in a simple yet efficient way.
How does the application work exactly in analysing a company, a denim or a brand’s productive process?
The tool is web based, and it is set to work with TTT once the mill has confirmed access by Natific AG, the partner company that has developed the tool. The landing web page takes the user directly to the calculating tool.
Information owned by each user is accessible only to themselves. Brands have a visibility of the Product Mapping and also to the Product Calculating tool when granted by the mill that has provided the calculating data. All other details are available when the final web page access is set.
TTT values are confidential and are not used for any classification of the mill–apart from what a brand may internally consider.
Who analyses a company’s performance? Is it involving a third party player or a committee within Transformers Foundation?
The company’s performance is checked by themselves and, on specific interest, by the partner brand following an invitation by the mill. In fact, we see brands and mills sharing information about the environmental performance of the latest and working together to improve the impact on any of the categories (in either inputs or outputs).
The verification of the data is done in three levels: mathematical benchmark, evaluation by Transformers Foundation experts, third party verifier.
Who is the third party involved?
The development party of TTT is the company Natific. The agreement is to have their support on the updating of the tool for the foreseeable future, with no plans to work with another company.
At the end of the analysis will companies be granted with a certificate, a rating or some other recognizing?
There is no rating of companies as such. TTT does not allocate any comparative level of performance. The evaluation over time, considering the input and output, is done, for instance, by the mill itself.
Brands have the chance to classify their suppliers in any form they consider–be it A, B, C or Gold, Silver, Bronze–but this is a process not considered by TTT.
Is this service for free or upon payment?
There will be a small fee meant to sustain the basic expenses (e.g. webpage hosting) and eventual upgrading costs.
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