1.4.2. Data availability and quality: the central challenge

The most demanding part of a passport is rarely technology. It is obtaining accurate data across a fragmented supply chain.

Fashion and textile production is typically spread across many outsourced tiers, and the information a digital passport needs often sits with suppliers several steps removed from the brand. A European survey of more than 80 textile-sector stakeholders found that gathering data from deeper supply-chain tiers is especially difficult because of language barriers, technology gaps and limited resources. Supplier data is frequently incomplete, inconsistent or scattered across different systems, and building a dependable data foundation commonly takes a year or more, often longer once first, second and third-tier suppliers are involved.

Because a passport built on poor data can mislead rather than inform, adopters should budget time for data collection and verification, not just for software. Engaging suppliers early is one of the most reliable ways to avoid gaps and last-minute compliance pressure.

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