Recent regulatory developments — alongside evolving business models and rising consumer expectations — have brought effective data collection and monitoring frameworks to the forefront of fashion logistics. Read on to explore the implications for brands and logistics providers.
From 2025 onwards, many large companies across Europe will have to comply with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) (CSRD). This rule significantly expands the number of organisations required to report on environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts, and introduces the requirement to align with the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS).
The CSRD requires firms not only to disclose on their own activities but to deliver transparency across their value chains — meaning that fashion brands will need data from all the companies they work with, including logistics partners.
But the CSRD is not the only regulation now demanding enhanced data visibility. The newly adopted Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulation for textiles places full lifecycle responsibility for textiles — including collection, sorting, recycling and disposal — on producers and brands.
Meanwhile, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) mandates transparency on product design, recycled content, repairability and sets the stage for the Digital Product Passport (DPP), which will require detailed product-level data across supply chains.
Thus, data is no longer an optional nice-to-have—it is a core business requirement.
At the same time, more brands are embracing circular business models — such as rental, resale, repair and refurbishment — in order to meet regulatory demands and consumer expectations for responsible fashion. In this context, a robust data-collection framework is essential to streamline operations, manage the extended lifecycle of garments and measure their impact.
A practical industry-perspective:
Bleckmann’s approach to data collection
Hans Robben (Programme Manager, The Renewal Workshop at Bleckmann) and Ron Thijssen (Manager Corporate Social Responsibility at Bleckmann) explain how the company’s data-collection strategy supports its circularity and sustainability ambitions.
Why is it important for logistics companies like Bleckmann to collect sustainability data?
Hans: “The fashion and lifestyle industry is a major emitter of greenhouse gases, partly due to transport emissions. Many brands’ value chains are complex, with multiple suppliers across countries. It’s essential to measure this data in a standardised, transparent and collaborative way.”
Ron: “For each organisation, the key now is to develop a clear vision of where they need to improve. At Bleckmann we want to be recognised as a sustainability leader in logistics. But before that claim, we need to know where we are today. Data is therefore the foundation for our future strategy.”
Hans: “Collecting accurate data on our operations also adds value for our clients. As part of their supply chain, we become a data-provider. With the CSRD coming into force in Europe, brands will need logistics-related data for their own disclosures. If we can supply comprehensive data, we become a more attractive business partner.”
Ron: “Exactly — data supports major business decisions: whether a brand selects a garment manufacturer with stronger human-rights credentials or chooses a logistics partner focused on emissions reductions. We see the move to far greater transparency as an opportunity to drive sustainable change.”
What kind of data should third-party logistics (3PL) providers focus on?
Ron: “Begin by identifying where your business exerts its biggest impacts (social and environmental) and which factors are most likely to affect you. This is the concept of ‘double materiality’. Based on this analysis you can prioritise your data collection activities. For instance: do you need to monitor workforce metrics, greenhouse-gas emissions, data-security, or all of these?”
Hans: “It’s also important that the data be as specific as possible. Fashion brands increasingly come under pressure for using generic data. There are now good tools available to collect the right kind of data. One example is Worldly — they built tools to help companies collect environmental and social data relevant to their place in the supply chain.”
Ron: “One of the biggest challenges though occurs even before you decide what to collect: you must find the data and figure out how to collect it at scale. Without systematic collection it is difficult to derive meaningful insights. Often legacy data-storage systems don’t communicate, so you need a centralised data platform to combine sources and build a full picture of your environmental and social impacts across the chain.”
How can sustainability data collection improve environmental outcomes of operations?
Ron: “A centralised data solution helps in many operational areas. One of the most important is carbon-emissions tracking. To reduce emissions, you must know where you start — establish a baseline and make it as detailed as possible. As a logistics provider we know that a large chunk of our footprint comes from outbound transport — vehicles delivering to stores and direct to consumer. Three years ago we began collecting parcel-level emissions data from our transport partners. That started the internal discussion. Since then we’ve seen promising initiatives: route optimisation, electric vehicles and bike couriers. We moved to develop a carbon-emissions dashboard, which is now compliant with the ISO 14083 standard.”
Hans: “Another area where data is making a real difference is waste-reduction. We aim for a zero-waste system across our operations, beginning with warehouse packaging. We already have a dashboard for waste consumption and are proud to have achieved over a 90 % recycling rate in 2023. The next phase is to raise that further and set a new target in the coming years. With the adoption of the Green Claims Directive, brands across categories will be forced to be much more transparent about product sustainability. By providing more accurate operational data ourselves, we play a key role in helping brands comply.”
Hans: “And the regulatory context continues to expand. The ESPR requires detailed product-level reporting (product carbon footprints, recycled-content metrics, substances hindering recyclability) and introduces the Digital Product Passport to carry that information.
Under the DPP, garments sold in the EU will carry a digital identifier and traceability is no longer optional. That means no more “grey-areas” in the supply chain.”
Ron: “Furthermore, the EPR regulation recently adopted for textiles requires brands to track the full lifecycle journey of products — sale, use, disposal and recycling. It’s no longer enough to produce responsibly — you must ensure end-of-life management. Centralised, end-to-end data collection is the only way to prove this.
Hans: “We should view this not just as regulatory burden, but as opportunity. Consumers increasingly buy on the basis of sustainability credentials. Early-movers will reap the rewards. For brands that scale circular processes the impact is tangible. For example: for a single garment you can model lifecycle savings via LCA; multiply that by tens or hundreds of thousands of items and the effect becomes significant.”
Thank you Hans and Ron for sharing your insights. The rise of data and sustainability has been among the most important business trends recently — and as their experience at Bleckmann shows, the two go hand-in-hand.
If you’d like to find out more about how the company uses data to support sustainable operations — and how it can help drive progress towards your brand’s sustainability goals — please get in touch for a consultation with a Bleckmann expert.
