DNA tags identifying cotton throughout its journey to consumers.

What are the factors that drive a consumer’s decision to purchase a cotton apparel item? Is it important for them to be able to know from which U.S. cotton production operation the fiber in that apparel item was grown and harvested? 

According to Cotton Incorporated’s Lifestyle Monitor Survey, more than 52 percent of U.S. consumers say they are interested in knowing where the cotton in a clothing item comes from before purchasing it. Nearly a third of consumers (32 percent) say knowing information on a product’s environmental footprint would influence their decision to purchase a clothing item. 

For the niche segment of consumers who do want to know where the raw cotton was produced, Applied DNA Sciences provides a solution to mark cotton with molecular tags at the gin point, allowing the testing and tracking of those tags across an integrated supply chain.

FOLLOWING COTTON’S JOURNEY

In their fifth year of working with ginning partners across the U.S. and Australia, Applied DNA Sciences has tagged over 250 million pounds of pima and upland cotton with their SigNature T DNA Transfer System. “We have followed that cotton on its journey from the cotton gin through conversion into sliver, yarn, fabric, and finished goods,” explains MeiLin Wan, vice president of textile sales for Applied DNA Sciences. 

“Our system can be used to tag cotton, wool, or many other agricultural products produced across the world. Provenance is not only about country of origin, but knowing exactly the cotton fiber type, gin location, date, and time that cotton was tagged, while adding to the responsible and sustainable practices that provide brands with forensic proof that support their product claims.”