Audience:
Open industry. All apparel and footwear industry professionals, regardless of AAFA membership, are encouraged to participate.
Description:
The regulatory pressure on apparel and footwear brands has never been greater. Requirements like the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) and the upcoming EU Digital Product Passport are forcing brands to look deeper into their supply chains than ever before, and the clock is ticking. Building the supplier relationships, data infrastructure, and internal processes needed to connect all tiers of a supply chain takes significant time and organizational effort. The brands enhancing their systems now will be far better positioned than those waiting for a compliance deadline to force their hand.
Many companies are still in the mapping phase, identifying who their suppliers are and where risks may exist. That is a critical first step, but mapping tells you who is in your supply chain, while traceability tells you what happened and how. True traceability establishes a verifiable chain of custody from raw material to finished product, which is precisely what the regulations will require. And when that capability is integrated into broader supply chain processes, it becomes a source of real business insight and brand value.
Attendees of this webinar will learn:
- To understand that regulations require deep supply chain visibility that cannot be built overnight.
- That traceability establishes the verified, auditable chain of custody that regulators require and that gives sustainability claims real credibility.
- How AI makes traceability at scale possible.
- How traceability is a business asset that enables material visibility and verification, surfaces financial risks, and demonstrates the responsible sourcing that consumers and regulators expect.
Speaker:
Heidi Benko
VP Product Management & Strategy
Infor
Heidi Benko is VP of Product Management and Strategy for Infor Nexus. Heidi has more than 25 years of experience in supply chain product management, solutions strategy and marketing delivering innovative supply chain solutions to companies across industries that help them transform their supply chain operations.
AAFA Host:
Audrey Clark
Trade and Transportation Specialist
AAFA
Audrey Clark is responsible for supporting the association’s trade policy efforts and leading the Transportation Team as the committee liaison. Prior to joining AAFA in November 2023, Audrey worked as Export Program Coordinator at the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. (DISCUS) where she managed eight international export promotion campaigns and supported four DISCUS committees. She previously worked at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) where she was awarded the Pearce Prize Achievement Award and served as Program Coordinator for Streaming & Broadcasting. She has earned both her bachelor’s and master's degrees in International Affairs from Georgia Tech.
Unable to join on May 27?
Register for the webinar to receive an email containing the direct links to access the recording and the PDF version of the presentation. The email will be sent 1-3 business days after the webinar.
CONTACT | QUESTIONS
Stephanie Paendong