Laura Houghton
Recent Posts
What is the UK Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging? The EPR is designed to...
Blogs
How to Strengthen Your Sustainability budget in Tough Times
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 17 Apr. 2025
Practical advice on how to protect and future-proof your sustainability budget, for UK Fashion...
Blogs
Clarifying supply chain compliance: everything you need to know
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 8 Apr. 2025
Are you confused by compliance? What rules apply to whom and when, and what must you do to comply?...
Blogs, Digital Product Passport, FAQs, Legislation Compliance
The EU Digital Product Passport (DPP): ALL you need to know
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 5 Mar. 2025
The EU Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a digital record detailing the environmental impact of a...
Blogs, Sustainable Sourcing, Net Zero, Suppy Chain Transparency, Legislation Compliance, Risk Management
Retail Supply Chain Sustainability: Community challenges and solutions in 2025
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 28 Feb. 2025
Why should fashion retailers and brands attend RSSC 2025? Let’s look at common challenges that we...
Blogs, FAQs, Supply Chain Traceability
Supply Chain Traceability in Fashion – What you need to know
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 1 Feb. 2025
Supply chain traceability has become imperative for businesses, especially for retailers and brands...
Blogs, Sustainable Sourcing, Customers, Suppy Chain Transparency
Building a Sustainable Future through Supply Chain Transparency
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 20 Jan. 2025
Featuring expert insights and commentary from Francesca Mangano, Head of CSR and Sustainability at...
Blogs, FAQs, Supply Chain Mapping
The Supply Chain Mapping Process – a step-by-step guide
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 23 Dec. 2024
Supply chain mapping gives you visibility of your supplier network, helps mitigate risks and...
Blogs, Sustainable Sourcing, Legislation Compliance
Sustainable Sourcing in Animal Agriculture
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 20 Dec. 2024
The Impacts and Challenges of Animal Agriculture in the Fashion Supply Chain As awareness of...
Blogs, Net Zero
Reducing Supply Chain Emissions in Fashion
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 13 Dec. 2024
7 Regenerative Strategies to Improve Your Carbon Footprint Supply chains are a major source of...
Blogs, Sustainable Sourcing, Suppy Chain Transparency
Why supply chain sustainability will be the innovative force in fashion retail in 2024-5
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 4 Dec. 2024
At the Retail Supply Chain Sustainability Conference (RSSC) in March (24) we heard discussions...
Blogs, Sustainable Sourcing
Water Stewardship in Fashion: Reducing Consumption
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 22 Nov. 2024
Retailers and suppliers face increasing pressure to find solutions from all sides to reduce...
Blogs, Sustainable Sourcing
What is Global Sourcing?
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 18 Nov. 2024
Global product sourcing strategies are now used by almost every major retail manufacturer. Clothing...
Blogs, Sustainable Sourcing, Legislation Compliance
EUDR Compliance: Achieving a Deforestation-Free Supply Chain
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 22 Oct. 2024
On December 30th, 2024*, a new era in the fight against deforestation begins when the EUDR comes...
Blogs, Sustainable Sourcing, Net Zero
Net-Zero Materials Transition: Sustainable Leather
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 18 Oct. 2024
It's time to focus on sustainable leather and one of the most compex supply chains in the apparell...
Blogs, Sustainable Sourcing
Sustainable Sourcing Challenges: Viscose
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 24 Sep. 2024
What is Viscose? Viscose (aka rayon) is a semi-synthetic fibre derived from the cellulose and wood...
Blogs, Suppy Chain Transparency, ESG
Supply Chain Transparency: why it’s key to ESG success and how to achieve it
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 30 Aug. 2024
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) in business is about instilling a culture of...
As the fashion industry strives to become more sustainable, the focus on polyester (aka PET) is...
Blogs, Suppy Chain Transparency, ESG, Risk Management
Achieve Your ESG Targets through Segura
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 6 Jul. 2024
A sustainable and ethical supply chain is no longer a distant dream—it's within your grasp....
Blogs, Suppy Chain Transparency, ESG, Risk Management
Transparency is the Foundation for ESG, Risk Mitigation & Value Creation
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 21 Jun. 2024
In today's fast-paced and increasingly regulated business landscape, supply chain transparency has...
Blogs, Sustainable Sourcing, Net Zero
Net-Zero Materials Transition: Denim
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 9 Jun. 2024
Denim is one of the world’s most popular fabrics, with over 1.3 billion people owning at least one...
Blogs, Suppy Chain Transparency, Risk Management
Why you need to pay attention to supply chain risk management in 2024
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 31 May. 2024
Over the last decade, global sourcing has become the norm in the apparel industry, with...
Blogs, FAQs, Supply Chain Transparency
5 Steps to Supply Chain Transparency
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 17 May. 2024
In 2024, retailers and brands are increasingly aware of the business case for supply chain...
Blogs, Suppy Chain Transparency, Legislation Compliance
Supply Chain Compliance - Why we need shared industry data standards
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 7 May. 2024
When it comes to supply chain compliance in the fashion and textiles industry there is plenty of...
Blogs, Legislation Compliance
EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD)
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 26 Apr. 2024
The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (Directive 2024/1760), effective as of 24th...
Blogs, Sustainable Sourcing, Net Zero
Net-Zero Materials Transition: Cotton
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 19 Apr. 2024
Embracing net zero with cotton isn't just a green obligation, it's a strategic opportunity...
Blogs, Digital Product Passport, FAQs, Legislation Compliance
Digital Product Passport Data Collection Details
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 22 Feb. 2024
The Digital product passport initiative is part of the proposed Ecodesign for Sustainable Products...
Blogs, Sustainable Sourcing, Customers, Suppy Chain Transparency
River Island & Segura finalists in Draper's Sustainable Fashion Awards
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 15 Feb. 2024
As outlined in River Island's last Sustainability Report, the requirement to have clear...
Blogs, ESG
How retail brands can make cost savings while driving ESG standards
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 12 Feb. 2024
Raising ESG standards in the retail industry The fashion industry is one of the most polluting...
Blogs, Sustainable Sourcing, Net Zero
Net Zero Materials Transition in the Fashion Industry
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 25 Jan. 2024
How Supply Chain Traceability can empower the shift to Sustainable Sourcing Practices What is net...
Blogs, Legislation Compliance
EU Parliament approves anti-greenwashing legislation
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 19 Jan. 2024
Greenwashing has been high on the legislative agenda for some time now, starting in 2021 in the UK...
Blogs, FAQs, Supply Chain Transparency
Supply chain transparency: 5 key benefits for retailers
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 10 Dec. 2023
Supply Chain Transparency is the ability for retailers and brands to know, and be able to disclose...
Blogs, Customers, Supply Chain Transparency
Pentland Brands partners with Segura to achieve greater supply chain transparency
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 24 Nov. 2023
As part of its commitment to continually improving its brands’ ethical and sustainable actions,...
Blogs, Net Zero, Supply Chain Transparency
Supply Chain Sustainability & Scope 3 - Transparency is key
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 6 Sep. 2023
Supply Chain Sustainability, Scope 3 and Net Zero targets are linked, with each touching almost...
Blogs, Supply Chain Traceability
Traceability must be a “non-negotiable” for the fashion industry
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 30 Aug. 2023
Both financial and sustainability performance have never been more important and Traceability can...
Blogs, Customers
As part of their ongoing sustainability strategy, schuh partners with Segura
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 8 Aug. 2023
Leading high-street fashion footwear retailer schuh has partnered with Segura, the leading platform...
Blogs, FAQs, Supply Chain Visibility
Supply Chain Visibility – what is it?
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 28 Jun. 2023
What is Supply Chain Visibility? And how does it differ from Supply Chain Mapping or Visualization,...
PR, Customers, Supply Chain Transparency
REISS partners with Segura to achieve a transparent supply chain as part of their sustainability strategy
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 21 Jun. 2023
As part of their commitment to the constant development of the ethical and sustainable management...
Blogs, Legislation Compliance
France makes environmental labelling a necessity for large brands
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 22 Mar. 2023
What is the French environmental labelling law? France has led the charge in the retail industry...
Blogs, FAQs
A Retailer's Guide to supply chain software and terminology
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 14 Feb. 2023
Why a guide to software terminology? There are many types of supply chain software, which perform...
Blogs, Legislation Compliance
The German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) - what you need to know
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 31 Jan. 2023
What is the German supply chain due diligence law? Lieferkettengesetz (LkSG), also known as The...
Blogs, Digital Product Passport
Segura Launch a Digital Product Passport Module
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 8 Jan. 2023
A retailer's solution for the conscious consumer Until recently, consumers have made their...
Blogs, Legislation Compliance
Is Plastic Packaging Tax the right solution to supply chain waste?
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 5 Dec. 2022
How can supply chain operatives change the packaging game to become more sustainable? What are the...
PR, Customers, Supply Chain Transparency
Debenhams journey to ethical transparency
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 4 May. 2022
Director of Sourcing Operations and Imports, Paul Seymour, talks openly about the increasing...
PR, Customers, Supply Chain Visibility
Phase Eight chooses Segura to provide supply chain visibility
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 28 Apr. 2022
Phase Eight, the go-to destination for empowering, feminine style that inspires has partnered with...
Blogs, Supply Chain Mapping, Supply Chain Transparency
Achieving True Transparency; Going Beyond Supplier Lists
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 14 Apr. 2022
April marks the anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse in which 1134 workers lost their lives....
PR, Customers
CLIPPER LOGISTICS PARTNERS WITH SEGURA
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 8 Apr. 2022
FOR SUPPLY CHAIN MAPPING AS PART OF THEIR ONGOING SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY Leading retail logistics...
Blogs, Suppy Chain Transparency, ESG
Ensuring a transparent and ethical supply chain
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 16 Feb. 2022
Segura partners with Hobbs Hobbs, the luxury British womenswear brand has partnered with Segura –...
RIVER ISLAND CHOOSES SEGURA TO ENSURE ETHICAL SUPPLY CHAIN Leading high street retailer River...
Blogs, Legislation Compliance
The end of greenwashing?
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 2 Jan. 2022
Is the time for ‘greenwashing’ coming to an end? The fashion industry is the first sector to be...
Attempting to balance the strains of both a career and a busy personal life is something that most...
Blogs
Five Tips to Making Your Business a Better Place to Work
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 27 Dec. 2019
Traditionally, a new year is a time for making resolutions and new beginnings. What better...
Blogs
Making Packaging Eco-Friendly in Luxury Retail
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 5 Dec. 2019
When we talk about sustainable packaging, we automatically think about the product packaging...
Fashion brands are looking to improve the impact that they are having on both the industry, and the...
Blogs
Implementing Disruptive Technologies: A Guide
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 29 Oct. 2019
A common misconception that we come across at Segura is that disruptive technology is hard to...
Blogs
How Can Ethical Trading Managers Go 'Beyond the Audit'?
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 22 Oct. 2019
Regular factory audits are now considered to be a bare minimum requirement for high street fashion...
Blogs
Sustainable Sourcing: Is It as Expensive as Buyers Think?
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 15 Oct. 2019
During 'The Sourcing Academy – Innovation and Best Practice for Sustainable Sourcing' session at...
Blogs
A Guide to the World's Modern Slavery Legislation
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 8 Oct. 2019
October 18th marks Anti-Slavery Day; originally created to raise awareness of human trafficking and...
Blogs
Organic September: Everything you Need to Know
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 24 Sep. 2019
Organic September is a month-long campaign designed to encourage people to adopt a more organic...
Blogs
It’s Time to Move Beyond Guesstimates – Modern Slavery Deserves Real Measurement
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 19 Sep. 2019
Could data be key to solving the global slavery crisis? Why data is the key to solving the global...
"Big data" is a term that has been bandied around for a while now. But what does it mean and how...
1stAugust marked Emancipation Day – a holiday to mark the end of slavery in the British Empire....
Modern day supply chains are extremely complex. With globally dispersed sourcing, there is now so...
Blogs
Sustainable Sourcing Challenges: A Round-Up
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 30 Jul. 2019
Over the last eight weeks, Segura have been investigating the biggest sustainable sourcing...
Blogs
Customer Success through the good times and the bad
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 27 Jun. 2019
I’ve talked before about what I believe the differences are between traditional Account Management...
With major retailers feeling the pressure to offer lower prices than their competitors, more palm...
Blogs
Sustainable Sourcing Challenges: Transparency
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 4 Jun. 2019
Transparency within supply chains has become business critical. With consumers increasingly...
Blogs
How to capture supplier data more effectively
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 30 May. 2019
After attending Innovation Forum’s US slavery conference in June 2018, I wrote up an overview,...
Blogs
Sustainable Apparel: Technology, Mindset and Collaboration Are Key
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 7 May. 2019
Last month I had the pleasure of attending Innovation Forum’s Sustainable Apparel and Textiles...
Blogs
Why quality is such a big issue in the retail sector
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 21 Mar. 2019
For retailers and fashion brands that outsource their manufacturing, managing product quality and...
Blogs
Leadership and the Importance of Investing in People
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 12 Mar. 2019
I’ve worked in many teams during my career. Some led by open and dynamic individuals who encouraged...
It’s been nearly five years since we published our first ever blog on production tracking and the...
Blogs, PR
Segura Announce New Partnership with Whistles
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 14 Feb. 2019
Segura are pleased to announce a new partnership with contemporary British fashion brand Whistles....
Friday the 18th January saw us co-host an event with two of our partners: Verisio, a global audit...
Blogs, PR
Segura Announce Partnership with Verisio
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 16 Jan. 2019
Segura are thrilled to announce a brand-new partnership with a company as dedicated to creating...
Wherever you turn these days you’ll keep running into customer success and the wide variety of...
Blogs
Measuring Gender Inequality in Manufacturing
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 29 Nov. 2018
A snapshot in time is not enough. Gender inequality has always been a strongly debated topic. In...
Innovation is at the heart of our business and that’s why we are proud to announce our partnership...
Blogs, PR
We’ve Partnered with Unseen – the UK Charity Tackling Modern Slavery
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 18 Oct. 2018
At Segura we don’t only provide our customers with a great product that can deliver supply chain...
Blogs
Fighting Slavery on the International Day of Charity
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 6 Sep. 2018
Each year the 5th September marks the International Day of Charity, as established by the UN...
Today marks the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition across...
In May 2018 Reiss published their UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 and California Transparency in Supply...
Blogs
How consumers influence business operations
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 24 Jul. 2018
In today's world, a business’s success is highly dependent on its consumers, and their view on the...
It is estimated that over 40 million people, slavery is their reality. These victims are spread...
Blogs
Tackling Modern Slavery and Forced Labour in Supply Chains – Collaborate, Collaborate, Collaborate!
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 19 Jun. 2018
Last week I was delighted to be able to attend another event managed and delivered by Innovation...
Supply chain issues and unethical business practices have become increasingly propelled into the...
Last week I was able to attend the Innovation Forum’s event in Amsterdam, Sustainable apparel: How...
Digitisation is a topic we have covered a number of times (what software company hasn’t, right?)...
Supply chain risk management is more diverse and more relevant than ever before. The Business...
Blogs
Are you ready for supply chain digitisation?
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 30 Jan. 2018
Despite 94% of supply chain managers claiming that digital transformation will fundamentally change...
Blogs
Is UK Retail Ignoring the Modern Slavery Act?
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 24 Oct. 2017
The Modern Slavery Act was introduced to the UK in 2015 with the purpose of tackling modern slavery...
The history of retail goes WAY back and without a doubt, things have changed. But have they ever...
Blogs
Preparing for the next generation garment industry.
- Written by Laura Houghton
- Published on 11 Feb. 2016
The apparel industry is changing. To meet consumer demand, brands need flexible, well-controlled...