“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.  This is good for farmers, good for consumers, and good for the entire industry,” says Daniel Jones, founder and CEO of Bext360, the lead technical partner of the initiative. 

Tracing organic cotton from farm to consumer

The apparel supply chain is notoriously fragmented and complex, making tracing garments to their origins a difficult task.  Tracing material flows through the supply chain is even more challenging, especially sustainably produced raw materials like organic cotton. 

At the same time, the pressure for greater transparency and sustainability in the fashion industry is intensifying. Consumers are more aware than ever of the ethical and environmental impact of fashion, while governments are beginning to demand accountability from brands and retailers for their supply chains.

Traceability is playing an increasingly important role in ensuring not only that sustainability claims made to the consumer are accurate, but also that sustainable producers are rewarded for their efforts.  

New technologies are beginning to offer brands innovative tools to efficiently and reliably verify materials, but until now these have not been successfully applied in the garment industry.

The technology behind the Organic Cotton Traceability Pilo

This pilot initiative combines multiple technologies to trace and identify the origin, purity and distribution of organic cotton. While these technologies have already been used before other supply chains, they have not been yet been used in fashion.

While blockchain technology allows for efficient integration of data from multiple sources in the supply chain, the use of machine vision, artificial intelligence, micro-biome sequencing and on-product unique markers (including the physical markers: NFC, IN-Codes and fluorescent Li-Code's) help to guarantee data integrity as well as grade the quality and purity of materials. For machine readable technologies like product markers, this can usually be done without altering the product itself.

At the farm level, the solution’s digital trail is creating transparency not only by verifying the material but also by ensuring the that fair price brands are paying are reaching the farmers.  Additionally, the digital trail simplifies logistical transactions for farmers and enable banks to provide them loans. 

At the consumer level, the technology sheds a light on the suppliers and manufacturers that are behind a final product, increasing trust and transparency.