CertainT® for Cotton Traceability

CertainT, Applied DNA’s traceability platform, provides an approach to authenticate goods within large and complex supply chains for materials such as cotton, and leather, home textiles and apparel, pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals, personal care, cannabis, and other products. To date, CertainT has ensured the authenticity of approximately 300 million pounds of North American Pima and Upland cotton and has been deployed to secure Egyptian and Australian cotton.

CertainT begins by authenticating the fiber content in cotton to confirm its origin. The platform then employs a unique molecular identifier produced by the Company’s LinearDNA™ platform to mark cotton fibers in bulk. The cotton fiber is then tested for the presence of the identifier via the Company’s proprietary, portable readers as the cotton fiber travels throughout a global supply chain and is converted into yarn, fabric, and finished goods. The detection of the identifier confirms origin and authenticity; its absence can signal for blending with illicit cotton, including cotton potentially produced by means of forced labor. The CertainT logo signifies to consumers of cotton products that they can trust the products they are buying with said trust grounded in forensic, science-based authentication. Consumers can therefore be confident in the knowledge that Brands and their supply chains have taken the necessary steps to assure that the cotton product itself is authentic and sustainably and responsibly sourced from a known origin.

The episode is available at

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct1jn9.