Digital Traceability for Sustainability

In 2024, MAS piloted a cutting-edge digital traceability platform to enable end-to-end visibility of raw materials by capturing and validating critical sourcing data while maintaining the confidentiality of sensitive supplier information.

A key engagement during the year was our engagement with Tier 1 Fabric Suppliers; to implement a digital traceability solution that provides end-to-end tracking of raw materials from source to finished goods. Following completion of the pilot phase, we expect to expand the rollout of the digital traceability platform across our entire supply chain.

Traceability in a Vast Global Supply Chain

The global apparel supply chain involves numerous geographies, materials, and suppliers; spanning intricate processes from raw material cultivation to finished garment production. This complexity often creates a lack of visibility, making it challenging to verify ethical practices, ensure compliance, and mitigate risks. At the same time, consumers, regulators, and investors are increasingly demanding greater transparency, driven by concerns over human rights, environmental impact, and product authenticity. New and upcoming global regulations, such as UFLPA and upcoming EU due-diligence laws, are placing significant onus on companies to invest in the sustainability and transparency of their supply chains.

Leveraging Technology for Traceability

• End-to-End Visibility: A digital platform enables comprehensive tracking of raw materials from their original source all the way to the finished goods, providing a level of granular visibility that is crucial for understanding the journey of a product’s various components.
• Supplier Collaboration: The success of any traceability initiative hinges on strong partnerships, which is why we are working closely with key Tier 1 fabric suppliers to implement this digital solution – ensuring their active participation and data contribution. While ensuring transparency, we are also committed to maintaining the confidentiality of sensitive supplier information.
• Robust Data Capture and Validation: The platform captures and validates critical sourcing data, ensuring accuracy and reliability. It allows for uploading of Chain of Custody documents from all supply chain tiers. Each document undergoes rigorous review for authenticity and alignment with regulatory requirements and our internal sustainability standards. Once verified, data is seamlessly integrated into the traceability system, allowing for continuous, real-time tracking from fibre to finished product.

Our Commitment:

We feel Circularity is the future as we can use renewable

MAS Partnership with Ambercycle

In 2024, MAS joined forces with Los Angeles-based materials science company Ambercycle; signing a three-year offtake agreement for a circular polyester material – cycora®. The partnership will expedite Ambercycle’s efforts to reach commercial-scale production for this premium new fabric made from end-of-life textile waste.

Ambercycle’s proprietary molecular regeneration technology represents a cutting-edge solution to textile waste. We are proud to integrate this advanced sustainable material into our products, offer novel new materials and solutions for adoption by our partner brands, and actively foster the industry’s transition towards circularity.

The Challenge for Circularity in Fashion

The global apparel industry operates largely on a linear take-make-dispose model. Each year, an estimated 92 million tonnes of textile waste end up in landfills or incinerators, with this figure expected to rise in the years ahead. A major component of this waste is polyester, a synthetic fiber derived from petroleum, which constitutes almost 60% of all clothing materials today.

The production of virgin polyester is resource-intensive, generates significant emissions, and contributes to plastic pollution through its non-biodegradable nature and potential for shedding of microfibres.

Textile-to-Textile Regeneration: The MAS-Ambercycle Partnership

The landmark partnership between MAS and Ambercycle, with a three-year offtake agreement, promises to scale up textile-to-textile regeneration through cycora® – Ambercycle’s revolutionary circular polyester material, created through proprietary molecular regeneration technology.

• Virgin-Grade Quality from Waste: cycora® offers the same high quality and performance as virgin-grade polyester, giving fashion brands and retailers the option of including recycled materials without compromising the integrity or aesthetic of finished apparels.
• Reducing Environmental Impact: Choosing cycora® is a net positive for the environment: reducing emissions from virgin raw-material extraction and diverting waste from landfills or incineration.
• Bridging the Gap and Accelerating Change: Establishing an offtake agreement ensures that global brands have access to regenerated next-gen materials to meet rising consumer demand for sustainable solutions; and suppliers like Ambercycle have the impetus to reach commercial-scale production for their industry-changing innovations.

Looking ahead, the potential impact of this partnership is immense. Ambercycle plans to establish a state-of-the-art textile regeneration facility by the end of 2025, which will significantly increase the production of cycora®. Our partnership supports the scaling of this new technology and serves as a strong collaborative model for interdependent engagement in the apparel value chain; to nurture novel technologies, unlock commercial scale for production, and deliver high-quality circular solutions to end-consumers.