Oritain Tackles Supply Chain Trust at AAFA Executive Summit 2026

Building trust in supply chains was top of the agenda when Oritain joined industry leaders at the recent AAFA Executive Summit 2026.

The annual event, managed by the American Apparel and Footwear Association, brings together executives from retail, apparel, footwear, and fashion accessory brands from the United States and around the globe to discuss key topics facing the industry. 

Oritain were Leaders Circle sponsors of the event, held over March 4-6 in Washington DC. Senior executives from Oritain were in attendance, including Gemma Lynch, Chief Customer Officer; Ana Hinojosa, Executive Director Government and Regulatory Affairs; and Ben Tomkins, Regional Vice President Americas.

Oritain’s presence at the Summit continues a long-standing relationship with AAFA, including hosting a series of webinars spotlighting key industry issues, most recently a session on 2026 Global Enforcement Trends presented in February.

 

 

Building a trusted ecosystem

Gemma Lynch took center stage to deliver a presentation alongside speakers from major global brands including Spanx, Carhartt, Ralph Lauren, and Levi Strauss & Co.

Gemma’s presentation, titled Building a Trusted Ecosystem, addressed why trust is becoming central to global trade, how trusted ecosystems strengthen true partnerships, and ways to connect with verified suppliers for robust due diligence.

“We’re in a period where regulation, tariffs, and consumer expectations are all rising at once, while supply chains are getting more complex and more costly to manage. The result is a crisis of confidence – businesses are being pushed from ‘trace’ to ‘prove’”, said Gemma.

More detail on the current state of the industry and the scale of risk origin cotton is set to be revealed soon with the imminent release of Oritain’s Market Insights study.

The 2025 launch of the Oritain Membership program was heralded as an important tool for empowering organizations to improve their product traceability by integrating forensic science into a collaborative framework.

“Trust in supply chains is built across an ecosystem – not by any one player alone,” said Gemma. “When trust is verified, not assumed, it creates stronger partnerships, greater resilience, and a more reliable global trade environment for everyone involved.”

Becoming an Oritain member provides organizations access to data and insights that allow them to identify potential issues early and take proactive action to prevent escalation.

 

See a list of all coming events Oritain are appearing at and contact us about scheduling an in-person meeting on our Events page.