It is effortless to get excited about new technology, especially if it has been designed to empower consumers to steer toward a more sustainable future. Recently I found myself getting excited about a blockchain technology platform by PaperTale. Developed by a Swedish startup, PaperTale has the potential to play an intricate role in not only solving fashion’s problems with sustainability and repairing its relationship with consumers.
It is Time to be Papertaled
Described as ‘crazy idealists,’ the people at PaperTale are made up of developers, designers, and engineers with a vast experience of developing technology solutions as well as managing complex manufacturing processes. The PaperTale tribe’s platform ensures that every step in the production is verified through the Blockchain. All transactions can be tracked, ensuring that the information is transferred directly to the intended recipient.
Technology as a tool offers endless possibilities, PaperTale believes that their conscious concept, created to authenticate the supply chain, holds the answer. Two years in development, technology has brought about a simple solution that is accessible to consumers with smartphones. By only using our mobile phone to scan, we will be able to authenticate information about the supply chain and the product’s environmental impact in minutes.
PaperTale’s Proof of Concept
It is no secret that it has become increasingly difficult to assess the truth in all claims made by fashion brands. Legislation and various forms of certifications have sought to force more sustainable production and reduced environmental impact, to consumers. Unfortunately, it can seem like there is more greenwashing than actual change taking place.
The “2019 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: In Brands, We Trust” stated that only 34% of respondents trust most of the brands they buy or use. Hoping to transform the consumption behavior and strengthen companies who work in sustainably PaperTale is helping brands gain consumer trust by assisting consumers to be interactive with the people who produce our products.
For the doubters, PaperTale has already demonstrated a “Proof of Concept.” They did this by creating what they described as a complete scenario of the Fashion supply chain. Their idea has introduced a Concept Collection created in Sweden. PaperTale partnered up with a mid-sized garment factory in Pakistan to come up with the range which consists of three garments for men and three for women.
Steering Fashion Towards a Sustainable Future
PaperTale’s technology has been created to eradicate the exploitation of workers in the developing world. The platform provides transparency by showing the necessary information about the employees behind the products, and it also confirms whether the workers are receiving law-abiding salaries and if they have written employment contracts. According to PaperTale, it has been reported that a large number of people in developing countries are working under slave-like conditions with wages below minimum wages.
Striving towards a genuinely sustainable future, PaperTale founder Bilal Bhatti has found a way to enable traceability throughout the production process with a built-in “Environmental Calculator” that can show a product’s environmental impact, based on production methods and materials that are used. Also, the platform is being developed to enable factories in all industries to implement the technology in their production processes. This type of technology, combined with software like the Suuchi GRID, can allow for the traceability that consumers want. The GRID tracks each stage of the process with estimated timelines, real-time communication, and the ability to pull data analytics straight from the supply chain.
When it comes to PaperTale’s overall vision, they hope to become a new industry standard. Coining the concept of “Traceability of Things” (ToT), Bhatti has been busy investing in improving the environment with blockchain technology platform. He wants to empower consumers to make informed decisions that will positively impact both the environment and the workers who made the product. So when it comes to the future, PaperTale hopes to develop the concept further and in time, implement additional features as well as for other industries.
PaperTale will be launching its crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, on 13th November 2019.
