PDEXCIL, AWARE Partner To Advance Digital Product Passport Readiness At Bharat Tex
The Powerloom Development & Export Promotion Council (PDEXCIL) and AWARE™, an Amsterdam-based neutral cross-border data infrastructure provider for textile producers, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at Bharat Tex 2026 to help India’s powerloom sector prepare for emerging European Union Digital Product Passport (DPP) requirements.
The MoU was signed by K. Sakthivel, Chairman, PDEXCIL and Feico van der Veen, Founder and Managing Director, AWARE™.
The partnership aims to equip Indian powerloom manufacturers with blockchain-based, fibre-forward traceability solutions, enabling them to meet evolving compliance and sourcing requirements in international markets while retaining ownership of their production data.
The European Union is introducing Digital Product Passports under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), with textiles identified as one of the priority product categories. As a result, traceability and authenticated product information are becoming increasingly important for suppliers serving European brands and retailers.
AWARE™ addresses this need through its blockchain-anchored tokenisation technology, which generates a unique Data Token for every production batch. The token securely captures verified information on fibre origin, composition and production history, creating a transparent and verifiable chain of custody as materials move through different stages of manufacturing and across international borders.
The platform also enables manufacturers to generate blockchain-issued Crypto TCs®, creating the digital foundation required for future Digital Product Passports. Importantly, the production data is created at source and remains under the ownership and control of the producer.
Commenting on the partnership, Feico van der Veen, Founder and Managing Director, AWARE™, said the company has built its platform specifically for manufacturers.
“Everyone else built for the brands. We built for the producers. India’s powerloom sector is where a large part of the world’s textiles begins. The data must start here and travel with the goods, not be reconstructed later. In a world where an unverifiable claim can become a legal liability, verified, producer-owned data is not simply a feature, it is access to the market.”
Under the agreement, PDEXCIL will introduce AWARE™’s platform to its member companies and promote awareness through workshops, training programmes, webinars and other industry outreach initiatives. AWARE™ will provide verified PDEXCIL members with preferential commercial terms, onboarding assistance, technical support and training.
The collaboration is built around the principle of data sovereignty, ensuring that producers retain ownership and control of the supply-chain data they generate.
K. Sakthivel, Chairman, PDEXCIL, said the partnership will help Indian powerloom manufacturers prepare for changing global market requirements.
“The EU Digital Product Passport will bring significant changes to the way textile products and production data are presented in international markets. Through this collaboration, we aim to help Indian powerloom producers strengthen their traceability capabilities, prepare for emerging requirements and improve their competitiveness while retaining ownership of their data.”
The two organisations plan to begin pilot implementation projects with selected PDEXCIL member units in the coming months, supporting the sector’s transition towards globally compliant, digitally traceable textile supply chains.
