The German sportswear giant is deploying a new tool from the supply chain traceability-focused tech platform to help document its products’ sustainability credentials.

The move comes as regulators signal a crack down on greenwashing in marketing and brands face new environmental disclosure requirements.

TrusTrace’s new tool allows brands to trace products back to the material level, creating a centralised database of certifications and documents that prove companies’ sustainability claims.

“You are now talking about millions of products sold and at each product level you need to have evidence behind it,” said TrusTrace co-founder and chief executive Shameek Ghosh. The software compiles data provided by suppliers to offer near real-time information about a product’s sustainability credentials as it moves through the system.

When it comes to marketing and stock planning, the industry is laser focused on consumer data to drive decisions, applying those same principles to the supply chain could be a powerful driver for change, Ghosh said.

Adidas, which has set targets to only use recycled polyester by 2024 and ensure 90 percent of its items have been made in a way that’s more sustainable by 2025, will trace all certified materials used in its products through TrusTrace in the next two years, according to Ghosh.

The platform will help Adidas provide even more transparency around its sustainability efforts, the company’s senior vice president for sustainability Katja Schreiber said in an emailed statement.

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