ALLIED Feather & Down announced the relaunch of its proprietary TrackMyDown.com website, an educational and supply-chain transparency tool designed to provide consumers with all the information they may need about the down in their jacket or sleeping bag. The new TrackMyDown.com platform provides a more robust user experience for consumers at point of purchase and at home, said the company.
After helping to create the now globally recognized Responsible Down Standard (RDS) within its supply chain in collaboration with The North Face, and gifting it to the Textile Exchange in 2014, ALLIED wanted to take education around down and the global supply chain to the next level.
“TrackMyDown was built as a way to turn the down jacket, sleeping bag, comforter or pillow inside out — allowing access to critical performance parameters and additional information that were never known before. Down has traditionally been a generic ingredient with at best a fill power rating to communicate quality to the consumer,” explained Daniel Uretsky, President at ALLIED Feather & Down. “We knew it was necessary to develop a tool that would engage the potential purchaser of a down product to help them make more informed decisions.”
TrackMyDown was originally born in Fall 2015 with five partner brands signing on: Peak Performance, Feathered Friends, Montane, Daniadown, and Merrell. By Fall 2018, there were approximately 80 global partner brands from the outdoor, lifestyle and fashion industries using the tool, with more than 100 brands on board for Fall 2019 product lines. Partner brands will be able to integrate the revamped tool on their own websites as well.
“Yes, it is incredibly important to know where your down came from in regards to animal welfare, ”said Uretsky. “But there is much, much more that goes into producing high-performing AND sustainable insulation than simply sourcing or fill power. We always saw the RDS and other standards as the foundation for the real work, and now we are able to communicate the complexities and environmental benefits to the consumer directly and through our brand partners at point of purchase.”
The platform has evolved from not only a traceability tool but to an educational resource for all. Users are visiting more than just the sourcing pages, with 1.8 average page views per visitor and more than a minute and a half on-site, most of which are Down 101 pages that discuss what makes down so unique, sustainable, and what differentiates the various qualities.
“When you see consumers hesitating to purchase down products simply because they are unclear of where it comes from or do not understand how sustainable it can be, we realized it was time to reinvent consumer traceability and education in our industry,” said Uretsky.
