Member Article

Avery Dennison advances launch of Digital Care Label in partnership with UpWest and ReCircled

• Re-use focused collaboration underlines how technology is central to the fashion circular economy, providing transparency and a new, direct-to-consumer communications touchpoint
• Demonstrates how upcycling can leverage Avery Dennison’s complete solution that combines a digital care label and hang tag with a QR code acting as a ‘digital trigger’
• Improves supply-chain visibility and supports post-consumer lifecycle data usage

Glendale, CA — Avery Dennison (NYSE:AVY), a global leader in innovation and materials science, branding, and manufacturing, today announces its partnership with lifestyle brand UpWest, and ReCircled, an apparel and footwear recycling and reuse focused organization. This collaboration demonstrates Avery Dennison’s Digital Care Label solution, showing how it can be used in an upcycling context and provide a retail/brand experience.

According to current legislation, all garments sold must have a physical care and content label to communicate product information, such as washing instructions and material composition. Avery Dennison’s Digital Care Label offers this information through a digital experience that showcases to consumers the sustainability story around the garment’s origins and where they can dispose of it.

Lifestyle brand UpWest is continually seeking ways to benefit the planet. As part of this mission, it began exploring how upcycling could extend the life of products, particularly its existing sweater inventory. In partnership with ReCircled’s team of re-imagineers, a collection of upcycled chenille items was developed; cozy winter blankets, dog-sweaters and mittens; launching online in October.

UpWest and ReCircled enlisted Avery Dennison to provide the digital triggers and data connectivity essential to complete the circularity loop.

Consumers will have the opportunity to scan the QR code at purchase with Avery Dennison’s “Digital Hang Tags” and post purchase via Avery Dennison’s “Digital Care Label.” Helping engage consumers, the QR code on these tags and labels is able to be scanned, taking shoppers on a journey: the digital experience outlines the item’s story, provides guidance on garment care, and allows them to engage closely with the UpWest brand.

Consumers today are unsure what to do with garments at the end of life, because brands lack an easy-on garment way of educating them. Currently many consumers remove the physical care label, while brands underutilize it. This increases the risk of the garment ending up in landfill rather than being resold, upcycled or recycled. In contrast, Avery Dennison’s new Digital Care Label helps advance the circular economy as recyclers and upcyclers can be confident of composition and resellers will be able to check authenticity.

Sarah Swenson, global senior sustainability manager, Avery Dennison RBIS, said, “This pilot provides a great way for consumers to engage sustainably with these comfort-focused lines. UpWest and ReCircled have created an enticing narrative that will allow customers to feel positive about making eco-friendly choices.”

Rob Smith, director production and sourcing, UpWest, said, “We wanted to combine both upcycling and new ways to interact with our consumers. Avery Dennison provides a holistic solution that allows us to pique consumers’ interest, and is a game changer in terms of giving us another route to share our story and our purpose.”

Scott Kuhlman, chief executive officer of ReCircled, commented, “This collaboration is championing the digital technology that will truly support the circular economy in practical terms. As well as providing the end-to-end data visibility, Avery Dennison has extensive knowledge of the supply chain, and can track and collate item and materials data from the purchase experience right through the circular journey to re-use.”

This partnership is the second in a series of innovation-based collaborations that support Avery Dennison’s 2030 sustainability goals. Ambercycle, Avery Dennison’s first partner for its Digital Care Label, is an end-of-life textile recycler which creates garments from polyester destined for landfill. The collaboration saw intelligent care labels being attached to Ambercycle’s garments, with a QR code linked to an app. The app is powered by Avery Dennison’s new atma.io connected product cloud.

These collaborations showcase Avery Dennison’s ability to provide a total solution - a physical trigger to a digital experience, data management, and applications for brands, consumers, and the wider apparel industry to utilize.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Meg Duncombe .