The Sri Lanka Apparel Exporters Association (SLAEA) and Stredge Consulting Middle East successfully co-hosted ‘Traceability in Practice: From Customer Expectations to Factory Reality,’ a virtual webinar and panel discussion recently. The session drew live participation from attendees in Sri Lanka including representatives from Stredge Sri Lanka and over ten other countries, including the UAE, France, England, India, Pakistan, Canada and Jordan, underscoring the international relevance of the issue to Sri Lanka’s apparel and textile export sector.
The webinar addressed one of the most pressing challenges faced by the local exporters today: how evolving European Union regulations on sustainability, ESG reporting and product traceability including the EU’s forthcoming Digital Product Passport, are pushing requirements deeper into global supply chains, often well beyond a factory’s direct, Tier 1 suppliers.
‘Sri Lanka’s apparel industry has repeatedly turned changing global expectations into competitive strength, from ethical manufacturing to green manufacturing. Traceability is the next chapter in that story, and one this industry is well placed to lead,’ remarked SLAEA Chairperson Rajitha Jayasuriya.
The event’s centerpiece was a 35-minute industry panel featuring; MAS Holdings Manager-Supply Chain Strategy and Development Navindu Munidasa, Noyon Lanka CEO Husni Salieh and Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) Secretary General Yohan Lawrence moderated by Stredge Consulting Middle East CEO and Partner Chester Cruse. The panel enabled insights into ground-level practical barriers Sri Lankan exporters’ face in tracing garments and raw materials beyond their immediate suppliers.
Stredge Consulting Middle East’s Prasanna Hettiarachchi framed the industry-wide shift as one of governance and opportunity. ‘This isn’t the first time the apparel industry had braved challenges. We’ve overcome them before and made them into a competitive advantage and we need to do the same again,’ noted Hettiarachchi who maintained that Compliance is the mechanism and market access is the objective.
The program also brought an international dimension to the discussion. Julien Bonne of Bureau Veritas, a world leader in testing, inspection, and certification services, helping clients meet the growing challenges of quality, safety, environmental protection, and social responsibility, shared a European buyer’s perspective on what brands will expect from apparel supply chains under incoming market-access rules, while Alex Lheritier, Chairman of Koaloo.FI, a France-based fintech that turns supply chain risk into immediate profit for international corporates, suppliers, and banks and has earned awards such as the ESG Fintech 100 and the WTO’s Best AI Solution for SMEs, addressed the technology and financing solutions that can enable trust and transparency across the supply chain.
Noting that the session is a strong first step toward an ongoing industry conversation, Stredge Consulting Middle East’s CEO and Partner Cruse averred: ‘This is a conversation the whole industry needs to be part of, exporters, financiers, technology providers and policymakers alike. We look forward to building on today’s discussion with further collaboration between SLAEA, Stredge and the wider apparel ecosystem.’