The licensing agency representing recognisable global characters Moomin and Pippi Longstocking has teamed up with tech company TrusTrace in a move to boost supply chain transparency.
Rights & Brands – which also manages licensing agreements for The Beatles and The Smurfs, and works with licensees and manufacturing partners across multiple, complex tiers of the supply chain – has made the move to centralise its compliance documentation and supplier oversight.
It comes as regulatory requirements for product transparency and accountability continue to intensify, with digital product passport legislation expected to come into play in 2027 as part of a raft of Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation mandates.
Roleff Kråkström, managing director for Moomin Characters and Rights & Brands, commented: “The characters we represent have been loved by families for generations, and that trust comes with responsibility.
“Our partnership with TrusTrace allows us to better ensure that products bearing these iconic brands meet high standards of transparency in their supply chain to ensure ethical manufacturing and compliance. This is about protecting not just the integrity of these characters, but the people behind the products.”
A three-phase implementation, which started in January, is planned for the coming months – and is expected to be completed by June.
TrusTrace’s platform should enable Rights & Brands to manage compliance requirements that vary significantly by brand, product category, and material type – from PVC safety documentation to social audit certificates.
Shameek Ghosh, CEO & co-founder of TrusTrace, remarked: “Licensing brings unique supply chain challenges – multiple licensees, diverse product categories, and tiered manufacturing relationships that require different levels of oversight.
“Rights & Brands is taking a pragmatic approach to building the infrastructure needed to manage compliance at scale. We’re seeing this same need across fashion, consumer goods, and other product-based industries as regulatory requirements become more stringent.”
Last month, TrusTrace announced it is helping the wider retail industry reach levels of standardisation when it comes to environmental and human rights due diligence in the supply chain.
A group of retailers already working with the tech company, including Asos and New Look, launched a unified questionnaire and digital tool, powered by TrusTrace, to measure the eco and human rights due diligence maturity of fashion brands.
Read more about it on Green Retail World
[image credit: TrusTrace]
