STONY BROOK, N.Y. — October 29, 2018 — Global manufacturer of home textiles GHCL Ltd. launched CIRKULARITY™, a new brand of eight lines of bedding supporting the circular economy in September, at the New York home fashions market week. These lines center on “reduce, reuse and recycle”. REKOOP®, the inspiration behind Cirkularity, is a brand of bedding products made from recycled plastic (rPET) and is the first bedding product to use the Applied DNA Sciences’ CertainT® platform. Rekoop bedding products will be available for sale in the United States beginning first quarter 2019.
Rekoop uses Applied DNA’s CertainT platform to trace and authenticate the post-consumer recycled polyester plastic in its bed sheets, pillowcases, and shams throughout the entire supply chain. This technology provides forensic proof that goes beyond a paper document. It guarantees brand authenticity, a growing concern for manufacturers as counterfeiting continues to escalate — rising from $1.2 trillion in 2017 to an anticipated $1.82 trillion by 2020.
“We are proud to introduce Rekoop, the first fully source-verified recycled PET bedding product line,” said Manu Kapur, president and CEO of GHCL Home Textiles. “Applied DNA’s CertainT platform provides customers and brands with the highest level of trust in terms of the authenticity of their products.”
Rekoop uses polyester made from recycling post-consumer PET bottles. With 36 plastic bottles used for each sheet or the equivalent of one ton of plastic (36,000 bottles) in 1000 sheets, helps reduce these PET bottles landing into the landfills, crude oil consumption and carbon emissions.
“Rekoop bedding highlights the interest brands have in providing consumers a verifiable guarantee,” said Dr. James A. Hayward, president and CEO of Applied DNA. “CertainT does what no other system can do; we can provide a unique, customized tag for every single fiber and verify them through a defined and secure supply chain through systematic sampling, testing and tracking. Momentum with retailers and manufacturers across a variety of textiles is growing and we are pleased to see the CertainT platform and trademark now making its way onto retail shelves next year,” he added.
Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL), India’s largest private company, provides its ecofriendly Recon® Green Gold, a high-quality fiber designed for Rekoop. As part of the integrated supply chain for Rekoop, Reliance is also partnering with Applied DNA Sciences in the use of the molecular-based solution for recycled PET to produce certified fiber for home textiles, apparel, footwear and other applications.
“Reliance is pleased to engage in a collaboration with two premier and forward-focused entities. Textile manufacturing must change from linear to circular paradigms to ensure transparency, authenticity and sustainability. We will work closely with Applied DNA Sciences and GHCL to forge new paths to bring required changes to drive circular concept in the industry,” said Hemant Sharma, Head – Polyester Sector, Reliance Industries.
Operating its home textiles facility in Vapi, Gujarat, India, GHCL incorporated the CertainT verified rPET fiber into its production process, from spinning to weaving to finished processed fabric. One of the leading manufacturers in home textiles in India, the plant boasts an annual production capacity of 36 million meters of finished fabric per annum.
Posted October 29, 2018
Source: Applied DNA Sciences
