TrusTrace has partnered with Cascale, Fair Wear and major retailers including ABOUT YOU, ASOS, Boozt, Ellos Group, New Look, The Very Group and Zalando to introduce a unified methodology and free digital infrastructure for Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence in the apparel and footwear sector.

The initiative combines two core components: the Retailer Brand Due Diligence Questionnaire and the One Retail Hub. Together, they aim to reduce duplication, streamline compliance processes and create a consistent industry baseline for responsible sourcing.

Standardizing Due Diligence Requirements

The Retailer Brand Due Diligence Questionnaire is a simplified self-assessment tool co-developed through cross-industry collaboration. By consolidating multiple retailer requirements into a single questionnaire, the framework replaces fragmented reporting requests with one structured assessment.

The questionnaire aligns with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector, alongside additional sector-specific standards. This alignment provides brands and suppliers with a common reference point for Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence obligations, particularly as regulatory scrutiny increases across global markets.

By standardizing expectations, the tool is designed to direct company resources toward meaningful risk mitigation rather than repetitive administrative reporting.

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One Retail Hub: A Shared Digital Infrastructure

The One Retail Hub serves as a free digital platform enabling continuous engagement with the due diligence questionnaire. Instead of responding to multiple ad hoc retailer requests, brands can maintain updated due diligence information in one centralized system.

This approach introduces predictability into reporting cycles and aims to reduce compliance burdens, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises that often face disproportionate administrative strain.

According to TrusTrace leadership, the platform reflects a shift away from proprietary reporting systems toward shared infrastructure that facilitates sector-wide efficiency and data consistency.

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Driving Convergence Across the Sector

The collaboration reflects a broader push within the apparel and footwear industry to harmonize sustainability standards and minimize overlapping frameworks. Cascale contributed subject-matter expertise through its Higg Index work, while Fair Wear brought worker-centered due diligence insights to strengthen social impact considerations.

The initiative positions retailers not only as compliance enforcers but as drivers of convergence and operational clarity. By establishing a unified baseline for HREDD maturity, the sector moves toward greater transparency, improved data exchange and clearer accountability across supply chains.

As regulatory requirements around human rights and environmental disclosures expand globally, shared digital tools such as the Retailer Brand Due Diligence Questionnaire and One Retail Hub may serve as practical infrastructure to support consistent, credible compliance at scale.

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