Christine Russo sits with Anja Sadock of TrusTrace. Anja traced the company’s origins back to an activist effort in India, where the founders witnessed firsthand the environmental toll of textile manufacturing on local farmland. That grassroots motivation grew into a global traceability platform designed to help brands see and prove what’s happening across their supply chains. Today, TrusTrace provides data and verification tools so companies can understand the social and environmental risks embedded in their sourcing—from forced labor to deforestation—and act on them with real evidence rather than assumptions. Anja described this as essential for accountability and impact, not just compliance.

We also discussed the growing regulatory momentum behind traceability, including digital product passports (DPP). While Anja emphasized that most companies are still preparing for the DPP framework, she underscored how it can become a competitive advantage when paired with solid data infrastructure. Rather than fixating on DPP mechanics, she highlighted the bigger picture: traceability as a foundational capability that enables readiness for future regulations, risk management, and even consumer engagement through transparency and repair initiatives. By the time DPPs are fully active toward the end of the decade, brands that have already built credible, data-driven traceability systems will be the ones positioned to lead.