Article: Retraced Launches Certified Materials Management, Using AI to Automate Certificate Reconciliation for Fashion Brands
Retraced Launches Certified Materials Management, Using AI to Automate Certificate Reconciliation for Fashion Brands
Behind every organic cotton claim or recycled polyester label, there is a paper trail. Transaction certificates, purchase orders, invoices, shipping documents. For most brands, keeping that trail consistent, complete, and audit-ready means weeks of manual work. Today, Retraced, a leading platform for supply chain transparency and vendor management in the fashion industry, launches Certified Materials Management to change that. The goal: Decrease the time spent on certificate processing by 70 percent.
Certified Materials Management automatically validates and reconciles certified material claims across purchase orders, transaction certificates, and shipments. What previously took weeks of manual work becomes a continuous, system-driven process.
The problem is more widespread than many realize. Brands sourcing certified materials must collect documentation from suppliers across multiple tiers. They match certificates to orders. They reconcile quantities across shipments and time periods. They do this repeatedly, often under audit pressure, and largely by hand. Inconsistencies surface too late. Teams grow to absorb the volume.
Certified Materials Management replaces that cycle. When suppliers upload certificates, invoices, or packing lists, AI reads and extracts the key data automatically. Each document is linked to the relevant purchase orders. AI then cross-references those documents to surface discrepancies. A buyer name that does not match. A certified quantity that does not align with what was delivered. Findings are returned with explanations and a clear status: Valid, Manually Validated or Needs Review.. Teams review what needs attention. The system handles the rest.
"Audit findings can be triggered by something as small as a mismatch in a buyer's name," said the sustainability manager at a major US sportswear brand. "At the scale we operate, with tens of thousands of purchase orders, managing this manually is not realistic. Having a system that highlights what really needs attention will make a significant difference.”
Regulators across the EU, UK, Canada, and Australia now expect sustainability claims to be specific, product-linked, and backed by evidence. The pressure on brands to substantiate any material claims is only growing.
"Sustainability teams are not short on expertise. They are short on time. Our customers already do the work. They already pass audits. What they should not have to do is spend weeks reconstructing the proof every time. With our new Certified Materials Management module, brands can implement an automated, continuous process that keeps them audit-ready with minimal effort at any point in time. Our clear goal is to reduce the time brands spend on processing certificates by 70 percent," said Philipp Mayer, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at Retraced.
Your PR contact: Sarolta Hershey, PR & Content Manager, sarolta.hershey@retraced.com
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