Today’s apparel supply chain is in dire need of an accountability check. As brands today deliver bold promises such as “ethically made” jeans or “sustainably sourced” jackets, more consumers are demanding the proof behind these statements.

But while there are many actors throughout the supply chain, it is ultimately the brand that is still responsible for the authenticity and traceability of the apparel it sells, according to Wayne Buchen, vice president of strategic sales at Applied DNA Sciences, a provider of supply chain security, anti-counterfeiting and anti-theft technologies.

“The brands are the people who took the responsibility to ship that order with a tag that said ‘organic cotton,’” he said.

In a recent fireside chat with Sourcing Journal founder and president Edward Hertzman, Buchen said apparel retailers and brands are often still too reliant on traditional supply chain authentication methods. And the issue is becoming more challenging, he said, as fashion firms are continuing to move production closer to the end consumer.