How can CMC answer the challenges faced by the brands? In which context can CMC be used?
 

TrusTrace’s CMC solution allows brands to automatically match purchase orders (PO) with certification information from the supply chain (information contained in the Document-based CoC). To do so, TrusTrace acts like a data aggregator that will combine all the required sets of data to enable automation of compliance.

With the CMC solution, brands can manage their POs on the TrusTrace platform, and the suppliers can then directly upload the certificates under the right PO instead of sending it by email. The platform then automates data extraction from the certificate and matches the data of the certificate with the PO to verify compliance. The CMC solution thus allows brands to directly access the relevant proof (here a certificate) in the case of an audit of a material claim. 

Furthermore, when the Document-based Chain of Custody is not complete (meaning that it does not cover the finished good or the good for which the PO has been issued), TrusTrace’s CMC solution allows brands to digitally record the last certified material transactions, bridging the gap between the documentation and the PO to allow brands to make material claims on their finished goods. This is what we refer to as “Digital Chain of Custody” as opposed to the “Document-based Chain of Custody”. In the first release of CMC (July 2022), the Product Segregation CoC model is supported, meaning that both the Document-based and the Digital CoC follow the Product Segregation model.

CMC solves a very specific issue for brands, thus, there is a context in which the solution proves its efficiency and value. For a brand to best perceive the value of CMC, these are the following requirements:  

Use of certified materials 

This solution is tailored to certified materials, meaning materials that have been produced in accordance with a sustainability standard. The solution uses the chain of SCs and TCs as a source of truth and a starting point for certified material compliance. Thus, if a brand does not use any certified material, it will not be able to reconcile its POs with CMC.  

Basic supplier mapping

For brands to use CMC, it is required to have done a basic supplier mapping. This mapping shall include all the supplier to which POs are issued. Additionally, depending on the TC availability, it might be required in some cases to map one additional level after the supplier to whom the PO has been issued. If brands do not have this visibility yet, TrusTrace also offers supplier mapping solutions. Once the suppliers are mapped until the necessary level, brands can get started with the CMC module by managing transactions. 

IT maturity 

For CMC to work, TrusTrace gathers a lot of data from different sources on the platform. The main source of data used is the data from the brand’s IT systems (what we refer to as brand “master data”). For CMC to work, the brand needs to have reached a certain level of digital maturity, meaning that the brand has digital systems to manage product data (PLM), material data (MLM), supplier data, PO data etc. If a brand has the right systems in place, some critical data fields can be extracted directly to conduct the CMC validations.