How A Female Founder Created The Chain to Bring Fair, Accessible Sustainability Tech to Fashion

The Chain by Frank Co. Logo

Frankie Hewitson, Founder & Owner of The Chain by Frank Co.

A snapshot of the Digital Product Passport for textiles from The Chain dashboard

Self-funded and mission driven, The Chain by The Frank Impact Company sets new standards for supply chain transparency by helping fashion SMEs navigate EU rules

BRIGHTON, EAST SUSSEX, UNITED KINGDOM, September 10, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Chain, a sustainability data platform developed by Frank Impact Company (Frank Co.), is reshaping how fashion brands manage compliance and supply chain accountability. Founded by Frankie Hewitson, a sustainability and supply-chain specialist with over 17 years of global experience, the platform addresses a critical need in the fashion sector while also challenging the norms of the tech industry.

Unlike many fashion-tech platforms that rely on venture capital and investor direction, The Chain has grown through profits from Frank Co.’s consultancy business. This independence allows the company to remain focused on its mission: equipping small and medium-sized fashion brands with affordable, practical tools to achieve transparency, accountability, and compliance under new European regulations such as the EU Digital Product Passport (DPP) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).

{ Built from Experience, Not Market Hype }

Frank Co. began with a clear objective: to support brands and suppliers through hands-on consulting that maps supply chains, identifies risks, and delivers practical solutions. Through years of this work across Europe and Asia, Hewitson observed a consistent challenge. Fashion SMEs needed digital tools, yet the systems available were either too costly, too narrow, or too complex to integrate into everyday operations.

That reality inspired the creation of The Chain. The platform was not born from speculation or hype. Instead, it emerged from direct conversations with clients and from the practical barriers they faced in their pursuit of sustainability and compliance.

“I built The Chain because my clients needed something better,” Hewitson said. “SMEs wanted to comply with evolving EU rules, but the software available priced them out or slowed them down. We created something different: affordable, accessible, and genuinely useful.”

The decision to self-fund The Chain is not a financial strategy but the definition of the platform’s mission and integrity. This model allows Frank Co. and The Chain to evolve at a sustainable pace. As a result, the platform prioritizes improvements that align with regulatory changes and client needs rather than investor expectations.

“If we had accepted outside investment, the first demand would have been to increase prices or put growth before purpose,” Hewitson explained. “That would have made The Chain inaccessible to the SMEs that need it most. By self-funding through consultancy work, we keep our focus on impact and fairness.”

{ What The Chain Delivers }

The Chain operates as a sustainability team in your pocket. It combines streamlined software with consultancy expertise when required.

The platform offers:

1. Supply Chain Transparency: It allows brands to map every tier, from the factory floor to raw material sources, and demonstrate traceability.

2. Wage Tracker: It compares actual wages with living wage benchmarks and supports fair pay across supply chains.

3. Factory Rating: It evaluates suppliers on people, CO₂, water use, and recycling performance.

4. Product CO₂ Tool: It estimates and compares carbon footprints of materials and sourcing choices before production begins.

5. Audit & Certification Tracker: It stores and links audits, certificates, and scope documents directly to products, including tracking B-Corp requirements for easy certification.

6. DPP Creation: It generates DPP-ready outputs that meet EU requirements, available both as a full package and as an add-on.

Here’s a case study of how The Chain by Frank Co. supported the renowned fashion brand, Rat and Boa with their sustainability goals, reports and compliance: https://www.the-chain.co.uk/brand-case-studies/blog-rat-and-boa

{ A Different Kind of Founder }

As a female founder in fashion tech, Hewitson brings a perspective rarely seen in this space. She began her career as a menswear designer and presented collections at London Fashion Week. Her path shifted when she experienced the damaging social and environmental impacts of both fast and luxury fashion while working in London, New York, India and Southeast Asia.

Since then, she has dedicated her career to improving the industry. She launched her own sustainable label, managed responsible sourcing businesses, and now runs Frank Co Consultancy and serves as Garment and Textile Lead at the Anker Research Institute, a global authority on living wage benchmarks.

“Most tech companies in this area are run by men, funded by investors, and designed to maximize profit,” Hewitson said. “The Chain is different. It is female-founded, experience-driven, and built with purpose at the core.”

{ Helping Brands Navigate What Comes Next }

The European regulatory space is changing quickly. The Digital Product Passport for textiles will require brands to provide product-level data that is traceable and verifiable starting in 2027. Meanwhile, the CSDDD pushes companies to demonstrate both human rights and environmental due diligence across their supply chains.

For many SMEs, this can be overwhelming. The Chain provides a bridge by making compliance achievable without overwhelming budgets or overly complex systems. Combined with Frank Co.’s consultancy expertise, the platform ensures that clients embed transparency into daily practice rather than treating it as a box-ticking exercise.

“Our mission is to make sustainability compliance practical, affordable, and credible for fashion brands of every size,” Hewitson said. “You do not need inflated budgets to deliver on integrity. You need the right tools and the right support.”

If you’d like to understand the heart of who they are, you can explore more about their mission and the values that guide every step of their work in sustainability compliance here: https://www.the-chain.co.uk/about

{ About Frank Impact Company }

Frank Impact Company is a Brighton-based consultancy that helps fashion brands and suppliers develop responsible, ethical, and environmentally compliant strategies. Its services include sustainability strategy development, supply chain mapping, reporting, and training workshops.

{ About The Chain by Frank Co }

The Chain is a sustainability data platform created and developed by Frank Impact Company. It equips fashion SMEs with tools to track wages, certifications, product data, audits, and CO₂ impacts, while generating DPP-ready outputs. Designed in response to real client needs, The Chain combines affordability with functionality, ensuring both brands and suppliers can achieve compliance and foster ethical practices.

Harrison Atuokwu
The Frank Impact Company
+44 7368 399220
harrison@thefrankco.com
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