IT / EN
February 20, 2019

Traceable Fashion

Three excellences joined forces to make the fashion industry more sustainable and transparent: thanks to the partnership between Albini Group, leader in premium Italian textiles, Supima, the prestigious association of cotton growers, and Oritain, the world leader in forensic science, was born the first 100% scientifically traceable fabric.

Supported by Albini Group, the project contributes to the creation of a supply chain integration process, which has transparency as a prerequisite.

The cotton grown by Supima, woven and dyed by Albini, can be recognized by the final consumer as completely traceable: providing confidence not only about the origin, but also in quality and ethical production. All this is possible thanks to a vertically integrated supply chain and an highly innovative scientific method developed by Oritain.

The process begins with the collection of cotton samples from the point of origin, which are analyzed using forensic science, in order to test the fiber chemical properties. Oritain uses statistical models to transform this information into an unique chemical fingerprint for that product and the environment where it comes from. From that moment on, the product can be controlled at every stage of the supply chain to verify that the fabric is consistent with the original fingerprint and has not been substituted, blended or tampered with. Only an exact match shows that the product is authentic. Thanks to this procedure, each step is traceable and it is therefore possible to go back, from the finished fabric, precisely to the field in which the cotton was grown.

Sustainability and traceability have always been an integral part of the Albini Group DNA, which for more than ten years has been managing and controlling all production process phases in its plants, from seed to fabric. Today this traceability goes further, achieving a level never reached before.