Blockchain in the textile industry

Modern textile and clothing production usually involves the manufacture of large quantities of standardized sizes based on pre-designed model cuts. In addition, modern industrial ready-made manufacturing is organized in a highly segmented manner. That is, the production is divided into specific fields, such as cutting. Nowadays, there are almost no farms in which all stages of production are carried out, from raw materials to the end product. At the same time, there is a growing awareness among end consumers of sustainable production and working conditions, as well as a desire for individualized goods.

How can the textile and clothing industry respond to this development in the future? 

In the past, bespoke clothing would have meant a trip to the tailor. Alternatively, customers can measure themselves and enter the measurements online in “made-to-measure shops”. A further variant is the so-called "body scanner", which records body measurements. The device is similar to security scanners used at airports. A body scanner creates a 3D model of the customer. The body measurements generated from the scan are provided to third parties in a standardized manner. This makes it easier and quicker to order customized garments.

Data security and access to body measurements collected by a body scanner

The real challenge is to identify and share personal data - and of course to do so in a secure manner. This service needs to be anonymous and free of charge for end customers. 

Body scanner operators are paid for any data retrieval. The retrieval and payment should be possible without a contract between the parties. For example, a clothing manufacturer pays the body scanner operator for access to the data after the end customer has consented to their data being released.

Tamper-proof data for cuts

Errors occur further down the supply chain, particularly in cutting made-to-measure garments, due to the fact that incorrect values are used to adjust the cut parts. Here, the solution can be extended to generate tamper-proof sections adapted from body data. The solution here may be extended to generate customized patterns from body measurements in a way that is secure against manipulation.

A team of employees from DITF and codecentric AG was assembled for the duration of the project. The outlined use case was iteratively refined and developed further, resulting in a shared target vision that was then implemented.

Since the DITF intends to use the solution to demonstrate an example of the added value of blockchains in the textile sector, various types of blockchain implementation were examined and analyzed in the course of the project. The requirement for contract-free and anonymous payment, as well as the DITF's desire to operate a local demonstrator, were key decision criteria for implementing a solution based on Ethereum using smart contracts . These smart contracts also offer the option of storing data that can be used to detect manipulated or altered body data.

To make on-site operation and provisioning as easy as possible, the entire blockchain component can be quickly and easily started, restarted or stopped using Docker and Docker Compose.

In addition, several joint videos were produced to describe the use case and the solution in detail to third parties and to give them a better understanding.

The entire process of a made-to-measure (M2M) workflow can be experienced at the DITF. Interested parties can examine and try out the implemented blockchain solution.

The M2M @ DITF demonstrator is part of the DITF demonstrators in the SME 4.0 Competence Center Textile Network of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and illustrates the potential added value of blockchains in the textile value chain. The outlined process is designed for more sustainable, individual, reliable, and traceable textile production.