TradeBeyond Upstream Operating System

Description by tool provider

TradeBeyond is an end-to-end upstream operating system connecting supplier governance, product development, costing, compliance, traceability and carbon data in one platform for private label retailers and brands.

Product segments covered by the tool

• •Apparel
• •Home textiles
• •Textile & leather accessories and goods -
• •Footwear
• •Furniture
• •Sports & outdoor equipment
• •Other non-textile products

Platform technologies

• •Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
• •Cloud-hosted platform
• •Multi-tenant system design
• •Relational database
• •Role-based access control (RBAC)
• •Automated rules engine
• •AI/Machine learning models

Blockchain implementation

• •No blockchain in standard offering
• •cryptographic integrity and audit trails ensure data traceability

Data input/output methods

• •Manual data entry
• •Bulk upload/export (Excel / CSV)
• •Scheduled file import/export
• •Inbound APIs
• •Outbound APIs
• •Event-based APIs (webhooks, outbound)
• •Workflow automation
• •Reporting export

Chemical substance traceability

Chain-of-custody is a continuity capability; composition and substance traceability are depth capabilities. Neither replaces the other.

• •Supplier visibility/supply chain mapping - The system stores structured information about suppliers beyond Tier 1 (e.g. role, tier, location).
• •Product–supplier association - Specific products (styles, SKUs, batches) are linked to the suppliers involved in their production.
• •Material flow / chain-of-custody tracking - Material inputs, outputs, and transformations between supply-chain actors are recorded using a defined chain-of-custody model.
• •Product composition / component traceability - Products are represented as structured compositions (e.g. components, ingredients) that can be independently traced to upstream sources.
• •Process & substance (chemical) traceability - Substances used in manufacturing processes can be recorded and linked to facilities, process steps, and affected products.

Sustainability Impact categories

Impact data coverage describes which sustainability-related topics a platform can store and manage data for. It does not indicate the quality of the data, the methodology used, or whether impacts meet specific regulatory thresholds.

• •Material attributes - (e.g. fiber type, recycled / biobased content, origin attributes)
• •Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) data - (e.g. environmental footprint indicators at product or material level)
• •Carbon & energy data - (e.g. GHG emissions, energy use, Scope-related data)
• •Water use & wastewater data - (e.g. water withdrawal, consumption, discharge, wastewater treatment data)
• •Chemical impact & compliance data - (e.g. restricted substances, chemical inventories, compliance status)
• •Supplier processes & practices - (e.g. production processes, management systems, operational practices)
• •Human rights & working conditions - (e.g. labor practices, social compliance data)
• •Biodiversity & land use - (e.g. land-use impacts, deforestation-related data)
• •Animal welfare - (e.g. animal-derived materials and related practices)

Types of sustainability impact data

Impact data coverage indicates what topics a system can handle; traceability capabilities indicate how precisely that data can be linked to products, materials, and processes.

• •Qualitative data - (e.g. yes/no answers, self-assessments, policy statements)
• •Quantitative data - (e.g. numeric values, measurements, calculated indicators)
• •Verification & audit evidence - (e.g. audit results, third-party verification status)
• •Certificates & formal attestations - (e.g. certificates linked to suppliers, materials, or products)
• •Calculated / derived indicators - (e.g. system-generated metrics based on underlying data)

Life Cycle Assessment  (LCA) handling

Product carbon footprint (PCF) calculations represent a single impact category and do not constitute a full Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), which covers multiple environmental impact categories across the product life cycle

• •Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) data can be stored and managed - (e.g. LCA-ready process inputs/outputs, background data, activity data)
• •LCA results from external tools can be imported and stored - (e.g. impact indicators calculated elsewhere)
• •Product carbon footprint (PCF) calculations functionality only - (e.g. climate impact without full life cycle scope)

LCA frameworks supported

• •ISO 14040 / 14044
• •EU Product Environmental Footprint (PEF)

Risk assessment support

Risk assessment functionality indicates whether a platform supports identifying, prioritising, or visualising potential sustainability or compliance risks. Approaches vary significantly between tools and may rely on user-defined criteria, predefined rules, or system-generated indicators. Risk assessments are intended to support prioritisation and decision-making. They do not in themselves constitute legal compliance or due diligence.

• •Manual or externally defined risk assessments can be stored - (e.g. risk ratings entered by users or imported from external sources)
• •Rule-based risk assessments are supported - (e.g. risks derived from predefined rules or thresholds)
• •Data-driven risk indicators are generated by the system - (e.g. risk signals based on traceability or impact data)
• •Risk visualisation and hotspot identification - (e.g. dashboards, maps, or prioritisation views)

Value chain actors involved in data exchange

• •Brand / retailer users - (e.g. internal teams managing products, suppliers, or reporting)
• •Tier 1 suppliers - (e.g. cut-and-sew factories, final assemblers)
• •Tier 2 suppliers - (e.g. mills, dye houses, processors)
• •Tier 3+ suppliers - (e.g. raw material processors, fiber producers)
• •Service providers / auditors / certification bodies - (e.g. third-party verification or compliance actors)
• •Logistics or downstream partners - (e.g. distributors, recyclers, end-of-life actors)

Consumer-facing access to product data

• •External stakeholder access (read-only) - (e.g. regulators, auditors, partners)
• •Consumer-facing content is configurable by the brand - (e.g. control over which data is displayed)
• •Consumer-facing access is in pilot or limited deployments only

Digital Product Passport (DPP) development activity

TradeBeyond supports structured product traceability, supplier mapping and compliance documentation required for EU DPP readiness. Current pilots focus on linking upstream traceability and carbon data to configurable product transparency views.

EU regulatory readiness

Regulatory readiness reflects how a provider monitors and responds to evolving EU sustainability and supply chain regulations. It does not constitute a claim of legal compliance, as regulatory scope and timelines are still evolving.

Our roadmap aligns with EUDR, UFLPA, CSRD, CSDDD and ESPR/DPP developments. We support upstream supplier mapping, chain-of-custody documentation, carbon data capture and regulatory evidence management for EU market access.