Tod’s Digital Passport wins a sustainability prize — but is it really worth it?

As fashion turns towards sustainability, some brands are taking things a bit further than just certificates of provenance. Italian brand Tod’s, for instance, has gone down the digital route to help pitch its iconic Di bag – used by everyone from the late princess Diana to Nicole Kidman – and Gommino shoes to its clients by employing the ‘Tod’s Passport’.

The take on the European Union’s Digital Product Passport, which began roll out in 2024, uses Aura Blockchain technology and an NFC tag to get you all the deets on how the product was crafted. But do we as customers really need a manual to use a bag or shoes? Sure, it’ll tell you exactly which spot in the world the leather has been sourced from and the story of the craftsman who spent hours on detailing design and it looks fancy to have literature to go with that special buy worth thousands. But would you actually read it?

And do you really need your shoe to be chipped with a history lesson? Yes, apparently, because the brand has been recognized by the Sustainable Fashion Award 2025. On September 27, at a Milan gala, the company won in the Craft and Artisanship category for the Tod’s Passport initiative.

So how can you get your fancy feet to look fancier?

It begins by scanning the NFT tag the right sole of your Gommino. It’ll take you to its digital passport webpage, where you’ll learn more about this product than any you’ve bought before. 

Are there any other benefits?

Well yes, on a positive note, it gives you easier access to client advisers, and special benefits including extended warranty and access to services dedicated to the care and maintenance of the Di Bag and Gommino. You’d also get exclusive access to events and experiences.

Sound like a ‘beat the Joneses’ moment? Perhaps the brand is winning on two fronts – making an exclusive product even more luxe while acting like a loyalty card that offers benefits enough to lure more customers. It’s a clever use of tech, of course. And a guarantee of its credibility.

But at the end of the day, is it not also a cumbersome information booklet that you feel compelled to spend time on?

Being posh has never taken more after care.