Supply chain traceability

Supply chain traceability allows you to document every step in your product’s manufacturing journey, providing transparency about where and how your products are made.

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Why traceability matters

Transparent supply chains are increasingly important:

• Regulatory compliance: EU regulations require supply chain disclosure for many product categories
• Consumer trust: Customers want to know where products come from and how they’re made
• Brand differentiation: Showcase your ethical manufacturing practices
• Risk management: Understand your supply chain to identify potential issues

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Journey structure

The supply chain journey is represented as a sequence of production steps:

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Production steps

Each step represents a stage in manufacturing:

• Cutting
• Sewing
• Dyeing
• Printing
• Finishing
• Assembly
• Packaging
• Custom steps specific to your process

Steps are ordered sequentially to reflect the actual production flow.

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Operators

Operators are the facilities or companies performing each step:

• Factory name and legal entity
• Complete address information
• Contact details (email, phone, website)
• Country location for geographic tracking

Multiple operators can be assigned to a single step if production happens at multiple facilities.

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Setting up your operator catalog

Before mapping product journeys, you need to define your operators:

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Mapping product journeys

Once your operator catalog is set up, you can map the journey for each product:

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Manual journey mapping

For individual products:

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Bulk import journeys

For multiple products with similar journeys:

• Include journey step data in your bulk import Excel file
• Specify step type and operator for each step
• Define step order with sort index numbers
• Import validates that operators exist in your catalog

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Integration sync

If your manufacturing system tracks production steps:

• Configure field mappings to sync operator data
• Map external facility IDs to your Avelero operators
• Journey steps sync automatically with product updates

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Journey display on passports

When a passport is published, the supply chain journey appears in the traceability section:

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Visual journey map

Consumers see an interactive journey display:

• Steps shown in sequential order
• Operator information for each step
• Geographic location data when available
• Visual representation of the production flow

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Operator details

For each operator in the journey, the passport shows:

• Facility name
• Location (city and country)
• Contact website (if provided)
• Additional details based on your disclosure preferences

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Multiple operators per step

Some production steps may occur at multiple facilities:

• A product might be sewn at two different factories
• Packaging might happen at regional distribution centers
• Quality control could occur at multiple checkpoints

Avelero supports assigning multiple operators to a single step:

• All operators for that step are displayed on the passport
• Each operator’s location contributes to the geographic map
• Consumers see the full scope of that production stage

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Operator data management

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Updating operator information

Operator records can be updated at any time:

• Changes to operator details are reflected in new passport publications
• Previously published passports show operator information as it was at publication time
• This preserves historical accuracy while allowing updates

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Deleting operators

Operators cannot be deleted if they’re currently assigned to products:

• The system prevents deletion to maintain data integrity
• You must remove the operator from all products first
• This restriction ensures published passports remain valid

Why restrict deletion?

Published passports create immutable snapshots that reference operators. If an operator could be deleted while in use, it would break the referential integrity of those snapshots.Instead, remove the operator from all products, then you can safely delete the operator record.

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Country of origin tracking

Operator addresses include country codes:

• ISO country codes ensure standardized geographic data
• Enables filtering and analysis by production region
• Supports compliance requirements for country-of-origin disclosure
• Powers geographic visualization on passport pages

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Advanced use cases

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Multi-tier supply chain

For complex supply chains with multiple tiers:

• Create operators for tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 suppliers
• Use descriptive step names to indicate supply chain tier
• Example: “Tier 2 - Fabric Weaving” vs “Tier 1 - Garment Assembly”

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Private label manufacturing

If you manufacture for other brands:

• Each brand account maintains its own operator catalog
• Brands don’t see each other’s operator information
• Shared facilities can be added to multiple brand catalogs separately

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Contract manufacturing

For brands working with contractors:

• Add all contract manufacturers as operators
• Assign them to the appropriate production steps
• Include or exclude contractor details from public passports based on your agreements

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Data validation and integrity

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Preventing orphaned data

The system enforces referential integrity:

• Products reference operators through foreign keys
• Journey steps are automatically deleted when a product is deleted
• Operators marked as in-use cannot be deleted

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Journey completeness

While journeys are optional, complete journeys improve passport value:

• Products can be published without journey data
• Incomplete journeys don’t block publication
• Journey section is hidden on passports if no data exists

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Compliance and reporting

Supply chain traceability supports various compliance needs:

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EU ESPR compliance

• Journey data is included in passport JSON-LD exports
• Operator information follows standardized schema
• Geographic data enables origin tracking

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Due diligence reporting

• Export journey data for supply chain audits
• Track production by country or region
• Identify concentration risks in your supply chain

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Customer inquiries

• Respond quickly to questions about product origin
• Provide evidence of ethical sourcing claims
• Support sustainability reporting initiatives