Fashion's Imperfection-and the SMX Technology That's Fixing It

In today's fashion economy, style alone isn't enough. Gen X and Millennial consumers are driving a shift that goes far deeper than seasonal trends. They want to know not just what they're wearing-but who made it, how it was made, and whether it reflects the values they live by. That means ethical sourcing, verified materials, and transparency from origin to outlet. That means for brands, vague sustainability slogans and unverifiable claims no longer cut it.SMX (Security Matters) (NASDAQ:SMX), a leader in converting physical items into secure digital records for circular economy applications, is capitalizing, by quietly transforming fashion's entire supply chain infrastructure with one mission: to make every item of clothing traceable, provable, and tamper-proof-starting at the molecular level.The SMX Approach to Authenticating Fashion's Supply ChainThe truth is, fashion's supply chains were never designed for transparency. Decades of fragmented sourcing, outsourced production, and superficial certification programs left even the most well-meaning brands struggling to validate their claims. While tools like RFID tags helped track inventory, they offered little in the way of material authentication or provenance protection. RFID is external. It can be peeled off, copied, or lost. It's useful for managing warehouses-not for proving a brand's sustainability story.SMX offers something different. Its patented chemical-based markers are embedded directly into raw materials-organic cotton, vegan leather, dyes, metals, and more. These invisible fingerprints are paired with a digital twin, creating a permanent, tamper-proof record of a product's lifecycle. Every step-from material sourcing to production, distribution, resale, and even recycling-is logged and time-stamped. The result is a fully authenticated supply chain where nothing slips through the cracks.For brands, it's a game-changer. With SMX, they can prove exactly where an item came from, how it was made, and that it hasn't been tampered with. This forensic-level traceability isn't just about compliance. It's about control-and about building trust with a new generation of buyers who are tired of greenwashing and hungry for receipts.Why Gen X and Millennials Are Driving the ShiftAccording to multiple consumer studies, more than 70% of Millennials say a brand's sustainability practices influence their buying decisions. Gen X isn't far behind. These consumers aren't just socially aware-they're digitally fluent. They know how to scan QR codes, follow supply chain maps, and demand transparency before swiping their credit cards. In short, they expect proof.SMX meets that expectation head-on. With its ability to track and verify materials throughout the entire product lifecycle, SMX is enabling brands to show-not just say-that their goods are ethically and sustainably produced. That's the difference between marketing and measurable action.And let's not forget what's happening in government. The EU's Green Deal, along with legislation like California's Responsible Textile Recovery Act, is cracking down on false sustainability claims and requiring more detailed environmental disclosures. SMX gives brands a built-in advantage in meeting these new rules, with immutable digital proof embedded in every product.Brands also recognize that SMX doesn't just help them comply-it protects them. Counterfeit goods cost the global fashion industry over $500 billion annually. SMX's embedded molecular markers act as a shield, verifying authenticity in real-time and safeguarding brand equity. Whether it's a luxury handbag or a recycled denim jacket, brands can now defend their products-and their reputations-at the molecular level.Where Sustainability and Security ConvergeWhat makes SMX especially powerful is how it links traceability to value. The company's Plastic Cycle Token (PCT) initiative is a bold example of that. It rewards verified circular behavior-recycling, ethical sourcing, reuse-with a digital asset that represents tangible, provable impact. In other words, sustainability isn't just good for the planet. It becomes part of a brand's financial strategy.This dual benefit-security plus ESG compliance-isn't lost on investors, either. As sustainability becomes a major factor in long-term value creation, SMX offers a unique position: it's not just helping companies tell their sustainability story-it's helping them audit it, verify it, and build entire ecosystems around it.And because SMX works across industries-fashion, packaging, electronics, automotive-brands that use it in one vertical often discover efficiencies and insights that ripple throughout their operations. It's the kind of scalable tech infrastructure that pays dividends well beyond its point of installation.The New Standard of AuthenticityThe world has entered a new chapter in fashion. And Gen X and Millennial consumers aren't waiting for brands to catch up-they're shifting their spending now. They want the full story. They want accountability. And they want proof. SMX gives brands the tools to meet that demand, not just with words, but with molecularly verifiable action.This isn't just a compliance tool-it's a trust engine. It's a brand protection system built for the realities of modern commerce. Put simply, SMX turns transparency into a competitive advantage, empowering companies to prove what others only claim. And at a time when authenticity is the new luxury, there is no compromise.About SMXAs global businesses face new and complex challenges relating to carbon neutrality and meeting new governmental and regional regulations and standards, SMX is able to offer players along the value chain access to its marking, tracking, measuring and digital platform technology to transition more successfully to a low-carbon economy.Forward-Looking StatementsThe information in this press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words "anticipate," "believe," "contemplate," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intends," "may," "will," "might," "plan," "possible," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "would" and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this press release may include, for example: matters relating to the Company's fight against abusive and possibly illegal trading tactics against the Company's stock; successful launch and implementation of SMX's joint projects with manufacturers and other supply chain participants of gold, steel, rubber and other materials; changes in SMX's strategy, future operations, financial position, estimated revenues and losses, projected costs, prospects and plans; SMX's ability to develop and launch new products and services, including its planned Plastic Cycle Token; SMX's ability to successfully and efficiently integrate future expansion plans and opportunities; SMX's ability to grow its business in a cost-effective manner; SMX's product development timeline and estimated research and development costs; the implementation, market acceptance and success of SMX's business model; developments and projections relating to SMX's competitors and industry; and SMX's approach and goals with respect to technology. These forward-looking statements are based on information available as of the date of this press release, and current expectations, forecasts and assumptions, and involve a number of judgments, risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing views as of any subsequent date, and no obligation is undertaken to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. As a result of a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, actual results or performance may be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Some factors that could cause actual results to differ include: the ability to maintain the listing of the Company's shares on Nasdaq; changes in applicable laws or regulations; any lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on SMX's business; the ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations, and identify and realize additional opportunities; the risk of downturns and the possibility of rapid change in the highly competitive industry in which SMX operates; the risk that SMX and its current and future collaborators are unable to successfully develop and commercialize SMX's products or services, or experience significant delays in doing so; the risk that the Company may never achieve or sustain profitability; the risk that the Company will need to raise additional capital to execute its business plan, which may not be available on acceptable terms or at all; the risk that the Company experiences difficulties in managing its growth and expanding operations; the risk that third-party suppliers and manufacturers are not able to fully and timely meet their obligations; the risk that SMX is unable to secure or protect its intellectual property; the possibility that SMX may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; and other risks and uncertainties described in SMX's filings from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.Email: [email protected]SOURCE: SMX (Security Matters) Public Limited

Fashion's Imperfection-and the SMX Technology That's Fixing It

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