**1. Introduction**

The Textile Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 on textile fibre names and related labelling and marking of the fibre composition of textile products (hereafter, Regulation) was adopted in September 2011 and became applicable on 8 May 2012. It repealed and replaced the previous Textile Directives.

By it, the EU legislator intended to eliminate potential obstacles to a good functioning of the internal market, caused by divergent rules in the member states.

The enforcement of this Regulation thus aims at standardising textile fibre names as well as terms appearing on labels, markings and documents accompanying textile products in the various production, transformation and distribution cycles.

With the double objective of offering consumers accurate information and of improving the internal market, it also sets rules on labelling or marking of textile products containing non-textile parts of animal origin, and regulates modalities for determining the fibre composition of textile products.

A textile product is defined as "*any raw, semi-worked, worked, semi-manufactured, manufactured, semi-made-up or made-up product which is exclusively composed of textile fibres, regardless of the mixing or assembly process employed*" (Regulation, art. 3).

The burden of labelling lies on all producers, importers or distributors of textile products, from raw materials to the finished product.

At the time of introducing a product into the market, the producer ensures the presence of the label or marking and the accuracy of the information therein displayed. If the producer is not established in the Union, the importer guarantees the above. A distributor is considered producer to the scopes of the Regulation in case he introduces a product into the market with his name or factory mark, labels it or modifies its contents. When making a textile product available on the market, the distributor guarantees that it is provided with the appropriate label or marking (Regulation, art. 15).

The Regulation does not apply to textile products contracted out to persons working in their own homes or to independent firms that carry out work from materials supplied without the property therein being transferred for consideration or to textile products tailor-made by self-employed tailors.

Furthermore, the following do not require a label: (i) textile products not intended for final consumers; (ii) textile products which, under customs control, are in transit because they are intended for non-EU markets; (iii) textile products temporarily imported for processing; (iv) textile products intended for sale in non-EU countries, for which the rules of the destination country need to be respected.

On top of mandatory indications, the legislator allows operators to characterise their production by voluntary information to be applied on labels or markings. In recent years, smart labels [1] are spreading out more and more in the textile sector also.

The objective of this chapter is to present, among indications which can voluntarily be added to labels, the application by Oscalito of RFId tags on finished items of clothing, in order to guarantee control on supply chain, on Made in Italy and, in general, on the high-quality characteristics of production.

This research fills a gap in literature: to the authors' knowledge, this is the first paper to present a case study on an Italian company applying RFId technologies to control the supply chain and to protect the Italian origin of production.

This chapter is divided into five sections: Section 2 presents a brief literature review on RFId technologies in the textile sector for monitoring the supply chain and for fighting against counterfeiting; Section 3 shows the research methodology; Section 4 offers considerations regarding the case study, Oscalito; in Section 5, the final conclusions are summarized.

## **2. Literature review**

RFId technology uses a radio frequency to identify, detect and locate objects [2]. In a nutshell, these systems are based on remote reading of the information displayed by a specific label (the RFId tag), activated by a special reader. Thus, it is possible, through magnetic impulses, to codify the data contained in the tag accompanying the product throughout the entire production process [3]. Passive RFId tags do not have own power supply; therefore, the chips are activated by the power received from the antenna of the reader.

Literature analysis primarily brought up two main uses of RFId tags in the textile industry: (i) for monitoring supply chains in general and (ii) as tools for fighting against counterfeiting.

**61**

*The RFId Technology for Monitoring the Supply Chain and for Fighting…*

tory management, waste disposal, logistics and transport [14].

Numerous publications describe potential benefits of the use of RFId tags in the supply chain. For example, see [4–11]. Few authors succeed in quantifying the benefits deriving from the application of this technology, because of the relatively

In recent years, RFId tags have risen great interest, and some authors [12] believe that they will substitute bar codes, an automatic identification technology that has

They are used for monitoring supply chains especially with reference to inven-

In the textile industry, characterised by a short and continuously evolving production cycle, RFId technology enjoys enormous potential. Brands such as Prada, Tesco, Wal-Mart, Benetton and, recently, Zara [15] are studying possibilities for its implementation [16]. The positive impact of these tags has been analysed by [17], who presented the highly satisfactory results obtained along the supply chain by applying RFId tags to clothing items of a US company. In Ref. [18], on the other hand, in a Hong Kong company, it has been noted that a resource allocation system based on RFId tags can ensure more efficient processes than those obtainable by

The Italian textile and clothing industry has for years been struck by strong competition from emerging economies: this situation led some authors [19] to verify the existence of traceability initiatives in order to obtain competitive advantages. The study analysed the 'Traccia' project for dissemination of the 'traceability of textile products', carried out also by using RFId tags. It was brought into evidence that various traceability models might have come up, supported by public or private certification systems. Even though the textile industry is considered one of the most indicated for the application of this technology [20], the authors lament that opera-

The main responsibility for the delay in implementing these tags, on the Italian as well as the international level, seems to be upon difficulties in aligning objectives and strategies along the supply chain: if this were not to happen, RFId might hinder instead of favouring integration of the various processes [21]. In Ref. [22], finally, a possible application of RFId to the shopping context is suggested: by guiding

Furthermore, numerous other interesting studies concern applications of RFId

In the twenty-first 'Whereas' of the Regulation, the EU legislator states that the textile industry is hit by the phenomenon of counterfeiting and that this raises problems in terms of consumer protection and information. The legislator encourages member states to devote particular attention to the enforcement of EU horizontal legislation and of measures concerning counterfeited products in the textile industry, such as Regulation (EU) No 608/2013 concerning customs enforcement of intellectual property rights and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1383/2003. Technologies enabling contrast counterfeiting can be classified into four groups [27–29]: (i) holograms and filigrees (manifest technologies), (ii) safety inks and invisible printing (hidden technologies), (iii) chemical tags and (iv) bar codes and

On the international scale, the proposal and analysis of RFId tags in order to fight against counterfeiting have been studied by many authors (e.g., see [30–40]).

consumers in their purchases, added value could be created for firms.

**2.2 RFId technologies for fighting against counterfeiting**

**2.1 RFId technologies for monitoring the supply chain**

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.86344*

been characterising retail sales for decades [13].

tors do not yet fully perceive its advantages.

tags to the textile industry (e.g., see [22–26]).

RFId ('track-and-trace' technologies).

scarce concrete applications [12].

traditional techniques.

*The RFId Technology for Monitoring the Supply Chain and for Fighting… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.86344*

## **2.1 RFId technologies for monitoring the supply chain**

*Fashion Industry - An Itinerary Between Feelings and Technology*

determining the fibre composition of textile products.

products, from raw materials to the finished product.

or to textile products tailor-made by self-employed tailors.

general, on the high-quality characteristics of production.

final conclusions are summarized.

received from the antenna of the reader.

**2. Literature review**

against counterfeiting.

(Regulation, art. 15).

products containing non-textile parts of animal origin, and regulates modalities for

*manufactured, semi-made-up or made-up product which is exclusively composed of textile fibres, regardless of the mixing or assembly process employed*" (Regulation, art. 3). The burden of labelling lies on all producers, importers or distributors of textile

At the time of introducing a product into the market, the producer ensures the presence of the label or marking and the accuracy of the information therein displayed. If the producer is not established in the Union, the importer guarantees the above. A distributor is considered producer to the scopes of the Regulation in case he introduces a product into the market with his name or factory mark, labels it or modifies its contents. When making a textile product available on the market, the distributor guarantees that it is provided with the appropriate label or marking

The Regulation does not apply to textile products contracted out to persons working in their own homes or to independent firms that carry out work from materials supplied without the property therein being transferred for consideration

Furthermore, the following do not require a label: (i) textile products not intended for final consumers; (ii) textile products which, under customs control, are in transit because they are intended for non-EU markets; (iii) textile products temporarily imported for processing; (iv) textile products intended for sale in non-EU countries, for which the rules of the destination country need to be respected. On top of mandatory indications, the legislator allows operators to characterise their production by voluntary information to be applied on labels or markings. In recent years, smart labels [1] are spreading out more and more in the textile sector also. The objective of this chapter is to present, among indications which can voluntarily be added to labels, the application by Oscalito of RFId tags on finished items of clothing, in order to guarantee control on supply chain, on Made in Italy and, in

This research fills a gap in literature: to the authors' knowledge, this is the first paper to present a case study on an Italian company applying RFId technologies to

This chapter is divided into five sections: Section 2 presents a brief literature review on RFId technologies in the textile sector for monitoring the supply chain and for fighting against counterfeiting; Section 3 shows the research methodology; Section 4 offers considerations regarding the case study, Oscalito; in Section 5, the

RFId technology uses a radio frequency to identify, detect and locate objects [2]. In a nutshell, these systems are based on remote reading of the information displayed by a specific label (the RFId tag), activated by a special reader. Thus, it is possible, through magnetic impulses, to codify the data contained in the tag accompanying the product throughout the entire production process [3]. Passive RFId tags do not have own power supply; therefore, the chips are activated by the power

Literature analysis primarily brought up two main uses of RFId tags in the textile industry: (i) for monitoring supply chains in general and (ii) as tools for fighting

control the supply chain and to protect the Italian origin of production.

A textile product is defined as "*any raw, semi-worked, worked, semi-manufactured,* 

**60**

Numerous publications describe potential benefits of the use of RFId tags in the supply chain. For example, see [4–11]. Few authors succeed in quantifying the benefits deriving from the application of this technology, because of the relatively scarce concrete applications [12].

In recent years, RFId tags have risen great interest, and some authors [12] believe that they will substitute bar codes, an automatic identification technology that has been characterising retail sales for decades [13].

They are used for monitoring supply chains especially with reference to inventory management, waste disposal, logistics and transport [14].

In the textile industry, characterised by a short and continuously evolving production cycle, RFId technology enjoys enormous potential. Brands such as Prada, Tesco, Wal-Mart, Benetton and, recently, Zara [15] are studying possibilities for its implementation [16]. The positive impact of these tags has been analysed by [17], who presented the highly satisfactory results obtained along the supply chain by applying RFId tags to clothing items of a US company. In Ref. [18], on the other hand, in a Hong Kong company, it has been noted that a resource allocation system based on RFId tags can ensure more efficient processes than those obtainable by traditional techniques.

The Italian textile and clothing industry has for years been struck by strong competition from emerging economies: this situation led some authors [19] to verify the existence of traceability initiatives in order to obtain competitive advantages. The study analysed the 'Traccia' project for dissemination of the 'traceability of textile products', carried out also by using RFId tags. It was brought into evidence that various traceability models might have come up, supported by public or private certification systems. Even though the textile industry is considered one of the most indicated for the application of this technology [20], the authors lament that operators do not yet fully perceive its advantages.

The main responsibility for the delay in implementing these tags, on the Italian as well as the international level, seems to be upon difficulties in aligning objectives and strategies along the supply chain: if this were not to happen, RFId might hinder instead of favouring integration of the various processes [21]. In Ref. [22], finally, a possible application of RFId to the shopping context is suggested: by guiding consumers in their purchases, added value could be created for firms.

Furthermore, numerous other interesting studies concern applications of RFId tags to the textile industry (e.g., see [22–26]).

### **2.2 RFId technologies for fighting against counterfeiting**

In the twenty-first 'Whereas' of the Regulation, the EU legislator states that the textile industry is hit by the phenomenon of counterfeiting and that this raises problems in terms of consumer protection and information. The legislator encourages member states to devote particular attention to the enforcement of EU horizontal legislation and of measures concerning counterfeited products in the textile industry, such as Regulation (EU) No 608/2013 concerning customs enforcement of intellectual property rights and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1383/2003.

Technologies enabling contrast counterfeiting can be classified into four groups [27–29]: (i) holograms and filigrees (manifest technologies), (ii) safety inks and invisible printing (hidden technologies), (iii) chemical tags and (iv) bar codes and RFId ('track-and-trace' technologies).

On the international scale, the proposal and analysis of RFId tags in order to fight against counterfeiting have been studied by many authors (e.g., see [30–40]).

In Ref. [41], it is suggested that consumers should use personal mobile devices (with RFId reader) in order to obtain information on products they are about to purchase and verify, in particular, their authenticity, while in Ref. [42], it is proposed to integrate RFId tags through the innovative anti-counterfeiting 'TagPrint' system, using COTS RFID tags and readers. This system is characterised by low-cost and offline genuineness validation utilizing passive tags. These three purposes are achieved "*by leveraging a few of federated tags' fingerprints and geometric relationships*". In TagPrint, a new kind of fingerprint is utilised, called phase fingerprint, "*extracted from the phase value of the backscattered signal, provided by the COTS RFID readers*". To further solve the separation challenge, a geometric solution is developed to validate the genuineness. TagPrint, using COTS RFID devices, may increase the inviolability of RFId tags.

Concerning the textile industry, Ref. [43] presents a practical application of the RFId technology to the fashion sector of an Italian firm: it is argued that the implementation of this technology as to the two most imitated lines of production has enabled to limit the counterfeiting phenomenon and to improve logistics.

Still with a view to the textile industry, thanks to using RFId technology, Refs. [44, 45] propose a system called 'electronic-pedigree' (e-pedigree), which enables to verify single elements, identify missing objects and foresee the status of the products wherever they are located within the supply chain. In 2015, an algorithm named 'tag data processing and synchronization—TDPS' was presented, which makes it possible to develop an e-pedigree [29]. To date, the studies of these authors however still miss practical applications.

On top of eliminating sales of counterfeited goods, the application of RFId tags on items of clothing enables to hamper organised crime, by rapidly identifying and reacting to its illicit strategies, which are constantly evolving [46].

Further interesting cases are mentioned in Refs [47, 44].
