Traceability and Compliance Monitoring Systems in Global Apparel Supply Chains

This paper examines traceability and compliance monitoring systems in global apparel supply chains through a structured stage-wise evaluation framework. The analysis focuses on supplier documentation, product traceability records, compliance checkpoints, and exception visibility across sourcing, production, inspection, warehousing, and distribution. Five analytical variables are used in the study: document completeness, traceability continuity, checkpoint coverage, exception visibility, and compliance response status. Two evaluation measures summarize system performance: the Traceability Coverage Ratio (TCR) and the Compliance Monitoring Effectiveness Index (CMEI). The results show that upstream stages, especially supplier qualification and sourcing, maintain stronger documentation and more continuous traceability links. In contrast, warehouse and distribution stages show weaker linkage, lower monitoring coverage, and reduced visibility of exceptions. The findings indicate that the main problem is not the absence of records, but the weak connection among records across supply chain stages. Fragmented data structures reduce visibility, weaken accountability, and limit compliance review. The paper presents a structured method for assessing traceability systems and identifies key gaps in cross stage integration within apparel supply chains.