Mulberry to add digital IDs to products in circular push

British luxury brand Mulberry is introducing digital IDs to its products in a push to boost circularity and traceability.

The iconic handbag maker has committed to add IDs to its complete product range by 2025, starting in June with second-hand bags from its resale programme, the Mulberry Exchange.

The company has joined the Sustainable Markets Initiative Fashion Task Force, and has teamed up with cloud-based software platform EON for the new initiative.

Each Mulberry bag will be connected to a digital ID powered by EON. Consumers can then tap their smartphone to the NFC-enabled tag to access product and origin information about the bag, as well as facilitate circular services such as authentication, repair, and resale.

A demo of a leather bag fitted with the digital ID was showcased at the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen on June 8 by Mulberry CEO Thierry Andretta and EON founder and CEO Natasha Franck.

Andretta said in a statement: “We take great pride in creating objects that are made to last, to be loved and passed onto the next generation.

“Through the Digital ID, Mulberry can offer customers increased transparency into the unique journeys of our products, deliver services such as lifetime repair, buy-back and resale, and ensure that every bag can have multiple lives.”