Practical guidance for retailers preparing for upcoming legislation
The pressure on UK and EU retailers to achieve full supply chain transparency has never been higher. Governments and consumers are demanding unprecedented visibility of where, and how, products are made. Forthcoming regulations such as the EU Digital Product Passport (DPP) and the UK General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) mean that every brand will soon need to capture, validate, and share sourcing data across every supplier and tier.
To help you get started, we’ve created a 10-step checklist which shows you how to achieve full supply chain visibility and explains why each step matters to your business. Use it to assess your readiness today and identify the key tasks to complete before the deadlines arrive.
Segura collaborates daily with retailers, brands, and their suppliers to map complex global supply chains. In preparing this checklist, we drew on:
The result is a 10-step checklist that we believe strikes a balance between regulatory demands and practical business needs.
These steps move beyond simple data collection to create a framework for:
By following these steps, retailers can shift from reactive compliance to proactive supply chain governance, protecting their brand, strengthening supplier relationships and positioning themselves as sustainability leaders.
Supply chain transparency is becoming a non-negotiable in the fashion industry, with consumers keen to know more about where their clothes come from and how they are made. Added to that, the increased regulation from legislators around the world and the mounting pressure from campaigners both demand compliance with ethical, environmental and safe working standards.
What you need to do: Appoint a data owner and define key data fields (facility name, facility ID, address and geo location, certifications, product IDs, BOM information, etc).
Why it matters: Disconnected spreadsheets and emails lead to data gaps and compliance risks. A centralised database ensures your sourcing, sustainability and compliance teams share one accurate record.
Business benefits: Faster audits, cleaner ESG reporting, and a stronger foundation for DPP readiness.
How Segura supports: Secure, cloud-based platform integrating with ERP/PLM systems.
Supply chain transparency plays a pivotal role in safeguarding brand reputation. In an era where consumers, investors, and regulators are increasingly focused on ethical and sustainable business practices, the ability to disclose accurate, up-to-date supply chain information is a powerful demonstration of accountability. By providing visibility to stakeholders — including customers, campaigners, and advocacy groups — retailers signal that they exercise intentional oversight and maintain robust controls over their operations.
However, transparency is not solely about celebrating success; it is also about acknowledging shortcomings. When issues arise, a timely acknowledgement, paired with a clear plan for remediation, can strengthen rather than weaken trust. Organisations that respond to challenges with openness and a commitment to corrective action position themselves as responsible leaders in their sector, reinforcing both credibility and long-term stakeholder confidence.
By working towards supply chain transparency, retailers are also likely to enhance their collaboration with suppliers. By sharing information and working together, retailers and suppliers can identify and solve problems more effectively. Regular engagement with suppliers, alongside the support of a supplier management tool such as Segura, can improve adherence to compliance standards, ensure documentation is up-to-date, find ways to reduce environmental impact and waste, and improve quality control. Overall, a positive culture of partnership is likely to evolve, as all parties are incentivised towards mutual goals.
By tracking and tracing the flow of goods and materials in the textile industry, retailers can identify and mitigate potential risks, such as supply disruptions, quality problems, and compliance concerns. A retailer can decide the key risks that it needs to mitigate against, according to its business priorities. Using a supply chain risk management tool like Segura means you can create, view and manage audits and, should non-compliances be identified at factories, raise corrective action plans and reports.
“Prioritising your supply chain resilience with true end-to-end visibility and transparency is key”
With regards to supply chain risk management, it is traceability, not just transparency, that is required. The ability to not only know what your supply chain looks like, but real-time order tracking that fashion retailers and brands need. Mapping the supply chain provides insights into where your suppliers are and what they do for you, but tracking your orders through the supply chain can show you ways to improve the flow, both in the long term and short term. Effective supply chain mapping supports risk management and helps retailers prepare for and avoid costly supply chain disruption by being able to diversify their supply chains, act quickly and reduce impacts.
With the rise of legislation such as the EU Eco-Design for Sustainable Products Regulation requiring a digital product passport and modern slavery acts in many jurisdictions, supply chain transparency will be essential to achieve regulatory compliance. Companies with established, transparent supply chains are better positioned to adapt quickly to evolving legislation.
This not only reduces the risk of regulatory fines but also builds greater trust with consumers.
A 2021 study by McKinsey found that companies that are more transparent about their supply chains tend to have higher sales and profits. The study found that these companies are more likely to be seen as trustworthy and ethical by their customers and are also better able to attract and retain top talent. Employees are more likely to want to work for companies that are committed to social responsibility and sustainability. In this time of a highly competitive recruitment market, this is a significant benefit.
For the apparel industry, there are some other financial wins. For example, supply chain transparency can bring savings, for instance, in the consolidation of packaging suppliers, through increased supplier rebates and logistical efficiencies.
See our article: How Retail Brands can make Cost Savings while driving ESG Standards.
In fact, Proxima’s Investing in a Sustainable Supply Chain report shows that 89% of investment managers are discussing ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) standards in the supply chain with the companies they invest in.
Governments, investors, consumers, sales channel partners and employees are putting increasing pressure on the garment industry to be ethical, sustainable, and net zero. Supply chain transparency can give business leaders the data and insights to reap the benefits available.
A true end-to-end supply chain transparency software, like Segura, enables retailers to map their supply chain, on an order-by-order basis, ensure supplier compliance and measure performance. Through the Digital Passport Module, Segura also provides a view of all of the components and suppliers within a product's supply chain to give customers a full picture of a garment’s provenance at the point of sale.
Overall, having one solution that does all can empower enormous change and commercial advantage for retailers in a fast-changing industry.
Segura Systems is a UK-based SaaS company enabling ethical, sustainable and efficient multi-tier supply chains.
Segura provides n-tier mapping, transparency, traceability, visualisation, compliance and reporting. Segura sits in the centre of your supply chain management structure, creating a central repository for all your supply chain, ESG-related data and evidence, including from third-party data sources.
If you'd like to learn how Segura can help you, please get in touch with us today.