This collaboration between The Interline and Oritain – a global leader in applying forensic and data science to verify the origin of products and raw materials – explores how the makeup and the fragility of the global textile supply chain has complicated the task of identifying the origin of natural fibres such as cotton.
With mounting pressure from regulators around sustainability and responsible sourcing, verifying origin is becoming increasingly valuable to brands, retailers, and manufacturers, creating a strong argument for the use of isotopic fingerprinting over DNA and other tag and trace technologies to support ESG commitments, mitigate fraud and unethical practices, comply with regulations, and protect their reputations.
Key Takeaways:
- Current challenges in the fashion industry’s supply chains, such as fragmentation and lack of reliable data, make it difficult to trace the origin of raw materials like cotton, highlighting the need for robust verification systems.
- There’s increasing pressure from both consumers and regulators for brands to provide proof of ethical and sustainable sourcing, making traceability and verification essential for maintaining brand reputation and compliance.
- Scientific methods like isotopic testing can verify the origin of cotton, which is crucial for meeting regulatory standards and ensuring the authenticity of sustainability claims.
The realities of responsible cotton sourcing
Supply chain complexity
Today, fashion supply chains are highly fragmented – made up of multiple entities in different geographic locations, across the sourcing and production process. Adding to this complexity, the majority of these links are outsourced and offshore, with suppliers changing from season to season due to weather conditions, apparel trends, price fluctuations, trade policies, and geopolitical events.
Cotton is a global fibre that is fundamental to the apparel industry, and the trade of which has been running for centuries. Cotton production provides income for more than 250 million people worldwide, and approximately half of all textiles are made of cotton. Textile production as a whole is expected to grow to 145 million tonnes by 2030 making cotton accountable for an estimated 70+ million tonnes of volume by the close of this decade.
This fibre goes through a long and complicated journey from farm to factory, with multiple stages of transformation and blending. Grown in different countries, mixed at ginners or mills, baled and shipped to intermediate manufacturers before being blended again to create yarns suitable for specific customer requirements. These cotton fibres might be intermingled in the same batch or production run, making it extremely difficult for brands to trace back to their specific points of origin. This presents a real risk for brands and retailers making sustainability claims.
Legislation with teeth
Fashion is now subject to intensified regulatory scrutiny to back their claims with reliable evidence, and compliance no longer means signing up pledges or dealing with tariffs. In the U.S., regulations like the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) are gaining traction with Customs and Border Protection (CBP). And the European Union recently introduced the Forced Labour Ban which encompasses not just foreign imports but also ensures compliance within member states. There is also the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) that once passed, will require companies to identify and mitigate any human rights violations and adverse environmental impacts in their value chains. In other parts of the world this year, Mexico, Canada, and Australia also proposed trade-based legislation to address forced labour. The UK, too, has had the Modern Slavery Act in place since 2015.
Implementing risk assessment throughout the fashion value chain is crucial for mitigating potential disruptions and ensuring sustainability. From sourcing raw materials to manufacturing and distribution, each stage carries risks like supply chain volatility, environmental impact, and labour issues. Conducting comprehensive risk assessments allow brands to identify vulnerabilities, adopt proactive measures, and ensure compliance with regulatory standards. This not only safeguards the business against unforeseen challenges but also promotes ethical practices, improves resilience, and maintains consumer trust in an increasingly conscientious market.
Consumer accountability
In 2024, consumers of all ages are more interested in the origins of their products and knowing how they are made. They expect brands to act responsibly and are willing to support businesses that demonstrate ethical sourcing, fair wages, and humane working conditions. According to Deloitte’s 2024 Gen Z and Millennial Survey: Living and working with purpose in a transforming world, three in 10 Gen Zs and millennials conduct research on a company’s environmental impact and policies before buying products or services from them. And a quarter of Gen Zs and millennials have stopped or lessened a relationship with a business because of unsustainable practices in its supply chain.
Without reliable data and transparency, there is a real danger of reputational harm and eroded trust with consumers and investors. But fashion businesses that successfully implement and communicate responsible practices can differentiate themselves from competitors. “The reality is that there is no standard industry practice or uniform network when it comes to traceability. From the retailer’s side, they rely on docket or buying slips from their suppliers and this level of information is not specific – so any sustainability claims are hard to substantiate,” explains Dr Kate Jones, Senior Science Advisor at Oritain, who spoke to The Interline, and which also produces a handbook designed to be a key reference point for brands looking to understand the global regulatory environment.
Current challenges with data and the need for science-backed traceability
Today, escalating financial pressures and speed-to-market demands have resulted in shortcuts and gaps in traceability, as companies prioritise quick production over thorough documentation and reliable data.
Without appropriate systems and technologies, tracking raw materials becomes a cumbersome and resource-intensive task. And even if certain parts of the supply chain (i.e. mills and manufacturing) are audited and seem ethical, the presence of forced labour and similar undesirable elements could still taint the supply chain further upstream if the genuine composition and origin of raw materials are not verified from approved sources.
“Supply chain mapping, blockchain, and some AI tools are fantastic in providing connectivity and clarity of information, but it is still a challenge to ensure that the information or product itself is compliant and authentic,” Dr Jones clarifies. So while digital platforms provide valuable tools for tracking and managing information, they alone cannot guarantee the authenticity of the data collected. This is especially true of cotton, where incidents of product substitution, contamination, and false labelling can jeopardise the brand reputation. In order to mitigate these risks, it is important to implement a robust system that combines digital traceability with scientific verification to make sure that product authenticity is maintained as it moves from producer to consumer.
Brands and retailers must embrace product-led, science-backed traceability to ensure authenticity and compliance. Without accurate data, it is impossible to fully achieve this, and as such there is a growing need for scientific verification methods that provide data which is objective, reliable, and highly resistant to replication or tampering.
DNA tells what it is; isotopic testing reveals where it is from
DNA testing focuses on analysing a sample’s genetic profile and comparing it to a database of known species. For instance, it can confirm if a cotton sample matches a specific cotton variety (Upland, Pima, or Egyptian), which helps with product consistency and quality control, but it does not provide information about its geographic origin.
Although DNA testing is highly effective for species identification, it cannot provide origin information because DNA testing only provides genetic relationships – not environmental or geographic information on where a product is grown. DNA testing is limited in authenticating or verifying authenticity in supply chains because DNA refers to what a product is rather than where it is grown. In the case of cotton, the DNA is primarily found in the seed, which is removed post ginning, diminishing the genetic material throughout the production chain. This limitation further restricts the applicability of DNA testing for determining origin or authenticity, even at the species or varietal level. Another challenge with DNA testing is the requirement for comprehensive reference databases that cover all the genetic variations of cotton grown in different regions. An alternative method, DNA tagging, can only trace a product to the point where the tag was applied (which may not be at the true ‘source’), and does not provide a comprehensive view of the entire supply chain. It requires full cooperation from all supply chain participants, and without detailed information from various production stages, its effectiveness is limited.
Isotopic testing is a forensic science technique for verifying the geographical origin of raw materials or products, including cotton. This technique analyses the naturally occurring isotopic ratios of elements like carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in the cotton sample. The result is a chemical fingerprint that acts as a geographical identifier, and which is used in the fashion industry to verify cotton origin. “Isotope ratios are influenced by several naturally occurring factors, including altitude, temperature, precipitation, soil composition, and even the bedrock of a region,” says Dr Jones.
Importantly, Oritain is a product test. It does not rely on documentation or any kind of additional tracers, instead relying on the inherent traceability of the products themselves. “We are really digging into the origin of the cotton,” says Dr Jones. “Each cotton population, due to their different climate and environmental aspects, can be characterised and then differentiated within our statistical modelling. Nature provides its own form of traceability for products in supply chains. We just have to unlock it.”
While Oritain uses forensic chemical techniques, their technology and methods go beyond just analysing samples for their chemical properties that relate to geographic origin. The chemical testing is the critical first step, but there are two other components that make Oritain unique.
Global database and reliable chain of custody
The company has also built out a global reference library of cotton to understand their global production – a more recent innovation than isotopic testing. “Oritain has been building out this database since 2017 and has mapped the majority of the world’s cotton producing countries, providing an unparalleled view of global cotton production,” explains Dr Jones. “Oritain is able to specify the origin resolution to specific farms, or zoom out to the country-of-origin level depending on the population required for testing.”
In addition to this powerful database, another critical component of what makes Oritain’s methodology stand out from other isotope testing providers is the integrity of information within the strong chain of custody for the thousands of samples it contains. This ensures that every step of the sample’s journey – from origin to final destination – is documented and transparent. In addition to enhancing operational control, it provides a reliable foundation for responding to regulatory scrutiny and audits, offering clear evidence of due diligence and adherence to best practices.
Getting to the truth of your supply chain with forensic science and data analysis
One of the main benefits of verification testing through isotopic testing and data science is that it provides data insights into the origin of goods for better decision making. Having accurate and reliable data can guide brands’ decisions when exploring new markets, allowing them to confidently verify their cotton sourcing origin and ensure compliance with sustainability regulations.
The advantages of using Oritain’s isotopic testing specifically for verifying the origin of cotton and other fibres used in fashion are worth highlighting. Oritain’s origin fingerprinting applies analytical techniques that are highly resilient to chemical and physical processes to allow testing throughout the supply chain.
“Because Oritain’s Origin Fingerprint is driven by environmental and climate factors that only nature can apply, an Origin Fingerprint cannot be artificially synthesised or recreated,” Dr Jones clarifies. “Oritain investigates and validates the common chemical and manufacturing processes implemented in garment and textile production – including, but not limited to, bleaching, dyeing, sizing, and mercerisation. Our approach ensures that the Origin Fingerprint is detectable through each stage of the production cycle, providing assurance of authenticity at each step.”
Conclusion
Fashion is at a turning point, where traceability is redefining its future. The industry is facing unprecedented levels of scrutiny due to new sustainability regulations in key jurisdictions, amidst a backdrop of increasingly complex supply chains and rising consumer demand for responsibly sourced fibres. Brands’ and retailers’ reputations are on the line, as any misstep could result in investigations, import bans, and significant damage to their public image.
Oritan is just one critical piece of the bigger compliance picture. Brands and retailers need to prioritise understanding who their suppliers and partners are, and make a point of knowing what goes on in the early parts of the supply chain. Having a science-based verification system doesn’t replace risk management systems like supply chain mapping or blockchain, but it can fortify and act as a solid safeguard for fashion businesses everywhere looking to be confident in their traceability claims. Without product-led traceability with forensic-level verification, there cannot be genuine sustainability for brands and retailers.
“It’s a really exciting tool because it’s not just a digital or AI technology,” concludes Dr Jones. “Many think that innovation in the supply chain comes solely from the digital aspect, but we’re utilising the forensic approach and tapping into the product itself to provide us with the traceability imbued by Mother Nature.”
If you are a brand or retailer looking to prove product authenticity and build your reputation as sustainable and responsible, learn more about the Oritain solution or arrange a demo by getting in touch with the company directly.
About our partner: Oritain are global leaders in product verification. Unlike traditional traceability methods, Oritain’s forensic science tests the product or raw material itself to pinpoint the location of origin – to prove where a product comes from and whether it’s sourced authentically and responsibly.