Woolam Gin achieves cotton tagging first
24/08/2017
SigNature T is a botanical-based DNA marker that is engineered to bond to cotton at a molecular level, creating a permanent signature, and is applied during the ginning process.
Dr James Hayward, CEO of Applied DNA, said: "SigNature T assures that the organic cotton grown and ginned in Texas is not blended with other cottons from different origins or with non-organic cotton, thereby remaining pure throughout the supply chain, all the way to the consumer.
"The deployment of our tagging system, starting first with Pima cotton and continuing on to the Upland varietals and organic cotton, reflects the importance industry participants today place on the use of technology to change the way they take control of their supply chain.”
The first molecularly verified organic cotton will be available in spring 2018, through the OrganiCott cotton fibre brand.
The global market value of organic cotton is $15.8 billion, according to the Textile Exchange.
Globally, there has been a four-fold increase in organic agricultural land since 1999 (from 11 million to 43.7 million hectares in 2014), according to GOTS.
The GOTS standard covers cotton processing, manufacturing, packaging, labelling, trading and distribution of home and apparel textiles made with organic fibre.
"We are excited that GOTS has approved our ginning process using the Applied DNA SigNature T molecular tag," said Jimmy Wedel, president of Texas Organic Cotton Marketing. "Use of the molecular tag will give an added level of traceability, transparency and trust that are an important value to our cooperative and its members."
The Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative, based in West Texas High Plains area, grew 80% of all the organic cotton in the US in 2015.
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