LVMH taps Security Matters for raw materials traceability

A unit of fashion group LVMH has partnered with brand protection specialist Security Matters (SMX) on a series of pilot projects that aim to improve traceability of raw materials in the luxury goods supply chain.

LVMH Métiers d'Art – the group's sourcing and sustainable development division – said that one R&D project has already been completed, with a second due to readout in the first quarter of 2022, which could then be followed by a commercial arrangement.

One key objective of the alliance is to give LVMH visibility over its supply chain and to cut waste, which is a big problem for the fashion industry. It is estimated that 92 million tonnes of textile waste is generated by the sector every year, and SMX says its technology can make it possible to sort, reclaim and reuse raw materials in unwanted or discarded products.

SMX has developed technology platform based on a marking and digital blockchain technology that can permanently and irrevocably mark any kind of material, whether it be a solid, liquid or gas. Using a digital reader, users can read the embedded data in real time without any need for lab tests.

The aim of the pilot projects is to allow complete tracing of products to verify environmental, social and governance (ESG) ethical sources and enable efficient sorting of materials for waste or recycling – throughout a product's entire life cycle – in what is sometimes referred to as a 'circular' economy.