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Earlier in October, our Head of Communications and ESG Expert, Anja Padget, hosted a conversation with Clara Walter, Sustainability Team Lead and Content Hub Lead at Fashion Cloud. Together, they explored one of the most pressing questions in fashion today: how can brands turn the growing wave of ESG data requirements from a compliance exercise into a real business advantage?
Ever since the EU released its Circular Strategy for Textiles, the pace of change has only accelerated. New legislation now touches every corner of the industry, from supply-chain transparency to product traceability. For many brands, the result has been a surge of reporting requirements and with it, an avalanche of data requests from key accounts.
As Anja put it, this shift is forcing companies to look at their operations through a new lens: “What used to be a design or sourcing question has become a data question.” To stay compliant and continue selling to major retailers, brands need a reliable, structured way to manage and share their information.
Clara explained that, in practice, many brands are still dealing with sustainability data through Excel sheets, different formats, different names, and often at SKU, colour, or even size level. It’s simply not feasible when every retailer asks for slightly different data, small discrepancies quickly turn into weeks of administrative work.
Fashion Cloud has been working to bridge that gap by bringing retailers together to discuss what they actually need. From those discussions, a clear pattern has emerged: the bulk of ESG requests today revolve around certifications and licensed materials.
In other words, sustainability data has officially become product data and it needs to be treated as such.
For years, sustainability information lived outside the core product process, in PDFs, supplier folders, or separate spreadsheets managed by ESG teams. But to meet current and upcoming requirements, that data now needs to sit alongside product attributes in PLM, PIM, and ERP systems.
When sustainability data becomes part of the same workflow as style numbers, compositions, and BOMs, it not only reduces friction, it creates visibility. Certificates, license numbers, material percentages, and certifying bodies become structured attributes that can flow automatically between systems and to wholesale partners.
As Clara explained, the goal is connected data. Data that “serves a greater purpose than just within the scope of your own company.” It’s not enough to have the information; brands must be able to share it across their ecosystem: from supplier to brand to retailer.
This level of transparency also depends on the supply chain. Much of the data brands need sits with material suppliers or certification bodies. Recognizing this, Fashion Cloud partnered with several traceability platforms to help brands understand where sustainability data originates, how to collect it efficiently, and which partners can help fill the gaps.
Anja emphasised how crucial this collaboration is: “If the tech solutions don’t connect, the data can’t move and neither can the business.” For Delogue, this reflects a broader truth. Compliance isn’t just about reporting; it’s about creating a digital ecosystem where information moves seamlessly from one actor to another.
Both Anja and Clara agree that the industry needs to change how it talks about ESG data. Instead of seeing it as a burden, brands can use it as a commercial advantage. Verified, structured sustainability data doesn’t just tick a regulatory box, it increases sell-in opportunities, improves search visibility, and strengthens relationships with key retail partners.
Retailers are already using sustainability attributes as filters in their online assortments, promoting certified or lower-impact products to consumers. In that sense, sharing accurate data isn’t just about compliance; it directly impacts sales performance and brand positioning.
Transparency also drives internal value. When brands know exactly where their materials come from and what certificates apply, they gain insights that can improve efficiency, manage risk, and guide better decisions.
The message from the conversation was clear: sustainability data has to move from the periphery to the centre of product development. By integrating ESG attributes into PLM and connecting systems across the value chain, fashion brands can transform compliance work into a driver of collaboration, trust, and commercial success.
As Anja concluded, “It’s about more than meeting requirements, it’s about building a business that’s ready for what’s next.”
Every month, we host a webinar, often in collaboration with our IT solution partners and leading industry brands. The topics vary, but one thing remains the same: we aim to make the fashion industry’s challenges more manageable and share our take on practical, hands-on solutions.
Check out this month’s webinar by clicking the button below.