Fabricating change: l'atelier Marey's evolution towards sustainability and transparency
l'atelier Marey, founded in 1947, has a rich history rooted in the fabric district of Paris, Le Sentier. Initially, the company offered fabrics printed in France, sourcing materials from renowned textile suppliers in the city of Lyon. Gradually, they expanded their operations to include working with Chinese manufacturers, importing fabrics to Europe. By the 1980s, l'atelier Marey transitioned into producing clothing in China and established dedicated style and design departments within the company.
Today, l'atelier Marey occupies a unique position in the industry as a trading and sourcing agency, collaborating with premium French, English, and American brands. They have offices in Paris and Shanghai, and their designers craft the exclusive Marey collection, which is offered to clients alongside collaborative design projects. Working closely with premium brands, l'atelier Marey provides design expertise, fabric selection, production, and delivery services.
From Excel to excellence: l'atelier Marey's shift in pursuing sustainability
About six years ago, l'atelier Marey recognized the imperative to address environmental concerns within the fashion industry. Their sustainability activities began with a focus on acquiring Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certifications for their primary fabric, viscose. This led them to confront the challenge of traceability within their supply chain. "We realized that achieving FSC certification required that we ensure that our entire production chain is FSC compliant," Lucille Garrido Jeudi, CSR Performance Manager at l’atelier Marey, explains.
To tackle the traceability challenge, l'atelier Marey relied on Excel spreadsheets to organize their efforts, meticulously recording supplier information and certificates. "We soon realized the substantial amount of documentation required," Lucille Garrido Jeudi recalls.
Lucille highlights Retraced's crucial role in l'atelier Marey's sustainability journey, enabling them to trace their entire supply chain down to the fiber level. She notes: "Retraced allows us to obtain verifiable proof of our sustainability efforts, streamlining communication and ensuring transparency throughout the supply chain. We view the platform as a versatile tool that can support various aspects of our CSR strategy, making it an integral part of our operations.”
From pilots to partnerships: l'atelier Marey's traceability tech adoption
Before deciding to implement Retraced, l'atelier Marey explored various options to address their sustainability and traceability needs. Initially, the team even considered developing an in-house platform, but this idea was eventually set aside. As the demand for sustainability grew in the industry, l'atelier Marey observed the emergence of digital platforms to make supply chains transparent in fashion.
In 2021 and 2022, they had the opportunity to participate in a traceability pilot in France, organized by a consortium of brands and textile industry federations. The objective was to assess different platforms and ultimately select one that could meet their sustainability and traceability goals. It was during this evaluation phase that they discovered Retraced. "Retraced offered tangible proof of traceability, which was lacking in our previous methods. The centralized platform with a dashboard accessible to suppliers was particularly appealing", Lucille Garrido Jeudi recalls.
The specific functionalities and capabilities l'atelier Marey sought in a platform included a user-friendly interface for suppliers, centralized information management, and verifiable documentation. Lucille emphasized, "Retraced fulfilled these requirements, especially by offering a central overview and its focus on providing proof of traceability."
Regarding supplier onboarding, Lucille mentioned, "We initially started with a pilot involving ten suppliers, but realizing the importance of comprehensive traceability, we eventually onboarded all our tier one suppliers onto the Retraced platform."
Despite challenges in onboarding suppliers, such as language barriers and differing levels of motivation, Lucille added, "We persisted with individualized training sessions and engagement efforts, resulting in successful onboarding of all our suppliers onto the Retraced platform. We maintain strong partnerships with our Chinese suppliers, some of which span over 15 years. We are very much committed to them."
Retraced's impact on l'atelier Marey's sustainability efforts
Since implementing Retraced, l'atelier Marey has leveraged the platform's network functionality to connect with all their suppliers. Lucille noted, "We utilize Retraced as a project and component parts management tool, allowing us to track orders, map our supply chain, and organize our products efficiently."
Transitioning from traditional Excel-based management to Retraced, l'atelier Marey witnessed a remarkable transformation in their supply chain operations and sustainability initiatives. Lucille Garrido Jeudi, the CSR Performance Manager, reminisces about the initial days when Excel sheets were their primary tool. "The Excel sheets were effective," she recalls, "but it was a time-consuming process. Now, we can have the entire supply chain mapped out within a few hours, thanks to the collaboration between our team and Retraced."
Beyond efficiency, Retraced brought about a paradigm shift in documentation and compliance management. "Previously," Lucille explains, "we relied on manual reminders for expired certificates. With Retraced, it's automated. We receive alerts, ensuring our compliance without delay."
Yet, perhaps the most profound impact was seen in their supplier relationships. Lucille reflects on how Retraced facilitated deeper engagement with their suppliers. "Retraced isn't just a platform," she muses. "It supports collaboration. Our conversations with suppliers evolved from mere transactions to meaningful dialogues about sustainability and transparency."
