Overview of the Inaugural
GFAT Summit
October 18 & 19, 2024
Connecting Industry Leaders
At this inaugural summit held at the University of Oregon’s Portland Campus, industry leaders convened to explore and establish best practices in global traceability in the sports product and apparel market while promoting compliance with emerging regulatory requirements.
Keynote Speakers
Felicia Pullam
Felicia M. Pullam, Executive Director of the Office of Trade Relations at the U.S. Customs & Board Protection joined us during the welcoming reception to share her expertise overseeing private sector and stakeholder engagement for CBP.​​​
Noel Kinder
On the second day, former Nike Chief Sustainability Officer Noel Kinder spoke about the challenging history of sustainability in supply chains and the opportunity for attendees to collaborate to build a better future.​​​
Opening Remarks
"Transparency & Traceability:
The Modern Business Imperative"
Dr. Jay Golden of the Dynamic Sustainability Lab at Syracuse University provided an overview of the various sustainability, human rights, and financial drivers for transparency impacting the global apparel and footwear industry and their suppliers.
Panel 1
Current and Emerging Regulatory Frameworks
Dr. Jay Golden, Karen Lobdell (Thomson Reuters) and Kevin Myette (bluesign) discussed governments’ rapidly increasing regulatory requirements for transparency in the supply chain and how systems for traceability are needed.
Panel 2
Traceability Scope and Evidence
Lorrie Vogel moderated Garry Bell (Chasing Better Consultants), Eric Parsons (Ching Luh Group) Krista Rickman (Cargill Cotton) and James Snider (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) on Panel 2 and sought to answer the questions: What are the requirements to comply with existing and emerging legislation? How far back into the supply chain will we need to focus? What are the types of evidence that will be required to satisfy the emerging legislation?
Panel 3
Tools and Technologies for Managing Traceability
Stacey Roen moderated Brian Carelli (InforNexus), Jeff Gaus (The Provenance Chain Network), Andre Raghu (HAP International), and Garrett Wright (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) on Panel 3 and sought to answer the questions: Are there ways that the industry can collaborate to lower the burden on suppliers by harvesting evidence in a consistent, transparent, and trusted manner? What are the emerging ways AI, machine learning, and blockchain are being used?
Working Group Formation
During the final phase of the summit, attendees identified four key areas of focus required to move the industry forward. From there, panel moderators facilitated the first Working Group discussions with attendees covering topics including:​
1. Navigating Current & Emerging Regulatory Frameworks
2. Reducing Administrative Burdens in Supply Chain Management
3. Fostering Collaboration & Sharing of Information for Global Alignment
4. Creating Synergies & Understanding Analogous Examples Across Different Industries
Call to Action
Moving the Industry Forward
To close, attendees were asked to join a standing Working Group to carry the discussion forward and into the second summit in Washington D.C. If you are interested in joining a working group, please join one below.
Working Group 1
Current and Emerging Regulatory Frameworks
Goal: Research and distribute current and emerging traceability policies and regulations (globally, nationally and state-wide) to industry leaders.
Deliverables: Develop free-ware dashboard of updated traceability regulations for industry use
Working Group 2
Reducing Administrative Burdens in Supply Chain Management
​Goal: Streamline traceability efforts across the industry to reduce costs, improve compliance and enhance data accuracy.
Deliverables: Standardize data requirements to meet emerging legislation, focusing on forced labor compliance, carbon accounting, sustainability claims, and Tier 3 supplier transparency.
Working Group 3
Fostering Collaboration & Sharing of Information for Global Alignment
Goal: Build a pre-competitive network of industry associations, upstream partners and industry leaders to guide transparency best practices.
Deliverables: Determine the best method of cascading traceability needs and standardizing practices along the supply chain.