MOREE – Efforts to fully trace Australian cotton along the entire supply chain have been given a boost with news that cotton ginning business Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) has introduced a revolutionary new cotton traceability system.
LDC has announced the installation of Applied DNA Sciences’ SigNature T cotton traceability technology at its Moree gin in Australia to tag, test and track Australian cotton. The system sees cotton assigned a secure identity via molecular tagging and other visually-identifiable or machine-readable features.
It is hoped the system will enable LDC to match consumer and retailer demand for sustainable cotton, demonstrating traceability along the value chain, while also supporting industry efforts to help Australian cotton become more competitive and sustainable.
“In line with our continuous drive to create greater value for our customers through our product and service offerings, LDC is excited to partner with The Himatsingka Group and Applied DNA Sciences to introduce the first robust, closed loop, supply chain traceability system for Australian cotton,” said Tony Geitz, managing director, Cotton Platform, LDC Australia.
“As a company committed to sustainability and responding to growing consumer demand for traceable cotton, LDC is pleased to adopt this innovative technology that will allow brand owners and retailers to verify the presence of Australian cotton in their finished garments and products.”
Applied DNA Sciences will supply sufficient SigNature T DNA taggant to tag approximately 14 million kilograms of Australian cotton at LDC’s Moree gin on a contingent basis.
Adam Kay, CEO of Cotton Australia added: “On average, Australian growers produce enough cotton to clothe 500 million people every year. It is great to see LDC’s traceability initiative, which will serve to strengthen our country’s already enviable global reputation as a reliable and trusted supplier of high quality cotton. As Australia’s cotton representative body, we endorse innovative solutions to traceability which we believe will help the industry become more competitive, sustainable and valued by the community.”