Posted February 10, 2015

 

STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Applied DNA Sciences, Inc., a provider of DNA-based anti-counterfeiting technology, supply chain and product authentication solutions, has completed a campaign for SigNature T DNA marking of pima cotton fibers destined for one of America's largest retailers.

 

More than 10,000 bales of extra long staple, pima cotton have been securely marked at the fiber level with APDN's botanically-derived DNA, and are en route to offshore locations in Asia for conversion to finished goods, that will ultimately be sold at retail this year.

 

"This project marks the first deployment of APDN's DNA technology solutions in Asia, marking and authenticating pima cotton fibers grown in California,” said Dr. James A. Hayward, President & CEO, APDN. “It is an historic first step toward increased transparency and compliance for textile supply chains worldwide. We are grateful toward our supply chain partners for their unwavering desire to deliver the best possible product to the consumer."

 

The project's sponsor is a U.S.-based distributor of fine textiles, which provides finished products to many of America's largest brands and retailers. The implementation of the supply chain driven solutions involves multiple corporate alliances for APDN. In combination, the market valuations of the members of this supply chain total more than $200 billion.
 

"These bales follow a trusted supply chain, with proper chain of custody protocols backed with on-site inspection and independent third party sampling procedures of converted yarn, fabrics and finished goods,” said MeiLin Wan, executive director, Textiles. “Assurance of global supply chain integrity, and of the 100 percent extra long staple pima content of the final product, will be achieved with our patented DNA authentication methods at each step in the supply chain."

 

Diagnosis and prevention

 

As part of APDN's suite of DNA authentication services, the company offers both diagnosis of label non-compliance for pima cotton (fiberTyping), and preventive solutions (SigNature T DNA) to mark and authenticate original product from the point of origin to point of sale.

 

• APDN's patented diagnostic assay, known as fiberTyping®, can determine the genetic composition of cotton textiles to determine whether the product is label compliant with federal law, or not. While noncompliant with compositional label claims, the textiles often still meet technical specifications necessary to fulfill orders. The resulting finished products, however, may not hold up to normal wear and laundering, may have a diminished feel or "hand," and may have an abbreviated usable lifetime.

• APDN's SigNature® T DNA markers can help to monitor supply chain integrity and trace the original fibers, before and after each of the manufacturing steps, which are often completed in a different country for each incremental step in the supply chain.

 

"I am not unsympathetic to the tough requirements placed on off-shore manufacturers who supply a demanding American market,” said Hayward. “However, U.S. federal law mandates that American consumers get what they pay for. Our evidence suggests that retailers are often misled in complex supply chains, and the ultimate victim is the consumer. Our mission is to 'make life real and safe' for the consumer."

 

Source: Applied DNA Sciences