Field Notes: When Fabric Goes Next Level
Blockchain technology now plays a role in materials made by Dagsmejan, the Swedish-Swiss sustainable sleepwear company, as it recently integrated Nativa, a 100 percent traceable merino wool, into its Stay Warm collection — just in time for the cooler and crisper days ahead.
Traceable “from fiber to bed,” the mulesing-free, certified merino wool used in its high-performing Nattwarm sleepwear fabrics is next level: With Nativa, all production steps are recorded on a blockchain to ensure a “100 percent traceable journey.” Nativa is a yarn developed by Chargeurs Luxury Materials, and the firm said it is the first global wool brand to provide blockchain traceability from farm to consumer.
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Catarina Dahlin, chief executive officer of Dagsmejan, said the brand “is committed to highest standards when it comes to sustainable and ethical production, and we are very proud that with this partnership with Nativa we can go one step further to provide full transparency and traceability to our customers when it comes to the welfare of the sheep giving the wool for our Stay Warm collection.”
Traceability is also top of mind for Cone Denim, as the brand said it is the first denim mill to offer forensic verification of cotton traceability with its new partner Oritain, a product and supply chain traceability specialist.
Taking aim at becoming the first denim mill “to adopt the highest level of end-to-end traceability possible,” Oritain’s method is a blend of forensic science and statistics that work together to detect naturally occurring elements in the cotton itself, which eliminates the need for additional foreign tracers such as sprays or particles, the brand explained.
“Soil composition and other environmental factors give the cotton an inherent ‘fingerprint’ specific to each location — what Oritain calls the Origin Fingerprint. Once these Origin Fingerprints have been created, they cannot be tampered with, replicated, or destroyed unlike other traceability systems. Product can be tested at any point in the supply chain to verify origin claims. To date, Oritain has mapped over 90 percent of the world’s cotton,” Cone Denim said.
Steve Maggard, president, Cone Denim, said, “Traceability and sustainability are no longer just industry buzzwords but strong-held values fast becoming the gold standard for our customers and the consumer. Our partnership with Oritain enables Cone Denim to be the first denim mill globally with the ability to provide documentable transparency that are admissible in a court of law, underpinning sustainable and ethical sourcing claims.”
“Through scientific verification of cotton origin, customers can be assured that Cone Denim products do not contain any cotton from prohibited regions, offering an elevated level of confidence and scientific peace of mind to our customers and our wider stakeholders.”
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