Audience:
Open industry. All apparel and footwear industry professionals, regardless of AAFA membership, are encouraged to participate.
Description:
Supply chain traceability is no longer optional. Regulatory requirements, shifting tariff structures, and customer expectations are converging to demand higher visibility into product origin, and the ability to prove it. Consumer products lag behind sectors like food, where traceability infrastructure is mature and enforcement is real. Cotton is a clear example: under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) and related frameworks, companies must demonstrate sourcing diligence not just in policy, but in documentation.
The central questions your supply chain must be able to answer are: What is in your product? Where did it come from? Who made it, and how? The brands and suppliers who build systems to answer these questions confidently will be the ones who can operate without disruption.
In this webinar, we break down the traceability landscape, examine available verification tools, and provide a practical framework for affirming compliance across your supply chain.
Attendees of this webinar will learn:
- To identify the core supply chain questions regulators, customers, and auditors are now asking, and how to prepare answers that hold up to scrutiny.
- What tools are available to verify supply chain information.
- To develop a supplier engagement strategy that moves beyond paper compliance to verifiable, affirmed sourcing claims.
Speaker:
Peter Hughes
Global Sustainable Business Development Manager
Eurofins
With more than 18 years of experience in sustainable development, Pete brings a wealth of expertise across various sectors. He has made a significant impact in areas of the footwear and apparel industry, where he has consistently led the way in sustainability initiatives, raised ethical standards, and advocated for sustainable improvement. At Eurofins, he is dedicated to advancing supply chain transparency, enhancing traceability, and ensuring organizations understand how best to respond to emerging standards and ways of working. Pete works closely with client representatives from brands, retailers and supply chain organizations in the textile, footwear, apparel and furniture industries.
AAFA Host:
Conor O’Brien
Sustainability Policy Specialist
AAFA
Conor O'Brien joined AAFA's policy team in 2024 as its Sustainability Policy Coordinator after completing his Masters in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University. Prior to joining AAFA, Conor worked for several years with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Boston, where he engaged with RCRA compliance, state coordination, climate adaptation planning, and environmental justice application. Initially trained as a chemist at Princeton University, Conor combines scientific research with policy analysis and application to provide holistic approaches to sustainable resource usage in pursuit of a more circular economy. Conor supports the work of the AAFA Environmental Committee and AAFA Product Safety Council by engaging with public and private stakeholders on issues of sustainability, product safety, and chemical management germane to the apparel and footwear industry.
Unable to join on April 29?
Register for the webinar to receive an email containing the direct link to access the recording of the webinar and the PDF version of the presentation. The email will be sent 1-3 business days after the webinar.
CONTACT | QUESTIONS
Stephanie Paendong