Tracing materials is complex and complicated, but pressure for transparency and sustainability within the fashion industry is increasing. The Organic Cotton Traceability Pilot program reports it has reached a milestone in its efforts to improve the traceability of organic raw materials in the textile supply chain.
The pilot program, the first of its kind employed in the fashion industry, combines several technologies to trace and identify the origin, purity and distribution of organic cotton. Testing is currently underway to trace organic cotton from farm to gin. The next stage is to trace the cotton from gin to consumer, then prove the process works at scale.
The multi-stakeholder effort has Bext360 as lead technical partner. Haelixa, Tailorlux and IN-Code Technologies contribute logistics, planning and technology; while Pratibha Syntex farm groups in India are conducting field trials. Other partners in the program are Fashion for Good, C&A Foundation, Organic Cotton Accelerator, Kering, Zalando, PVH Corp. and C&A.
“With the work we have done to trace organic cotton from farm to gin, we are confident that in the next phase we will be able to make the leap from gin to consumer, eventually making it possible to swiftly and efficiently trace organic cotton straight from the farm to the consumer,” said Daniel Jones, founder and CEO, Bext360.
“These technologies will improve how companies can map, audit, certify, and monitor their value chains, allowing them to tackle issues head on and build transparent processes,” explained Katrin Ley, managing director, Fashion for Good.
March/April 2019
