Posted May 4, 2017

 

STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Applied DNA Sciences, Inc., a provider of DNA-based supply chain, anti-counterfeiting and anti-theft technology, product genotyping and product authentication solutions, announced the debut of its textile molecular tag technology, SigNature T, in Bed Bath & Beyond's Wamsutta line.

 

Featuring PimaCott, it is now available at locations nationwide and online. SigNature T verifies that the Wamsutta home fashions products sold to consumers are pure Pima cotton, grown in the San Joaquin Valley, Calif. Products include comforters, pillowcases and shams. Additional information on Wamsutta PimaCott – including the DNA traceability aspects of the Wamsutta PimaCott line – can be found at Explore Wamsutta PimaCott.

 

The introduction of the Wamsutta line featuring PimaCott at Bed Bath & Beyond  follows Applied DNA's announcement in December that, through one of its partners, the company will provide its SigNature T products and services platform to empower textile supply chain security for one of the largest U.S.-based retailers over an extended multi-year period with established revenue thresholds.

 

SigNature T is a botanical-based molecular tag that attaches tenaciously to the cotton fiber, ensuring reliable, secure traceability throughout the entire manufacturing process in the U.S. and abroad. Cotton is indelibly tagged with SigNature T at the gin in the U.S. The tagged cotton is then verified throughout the supply chain. Points of verification include:

 

• Before leaving the U.S. once it has been baled and assigned a unique bale ID;

• After the raw cotton has been spun into yarn, and at various points after the yarn has been woven to be cut and sewn into home textile products; and

• Before being shipped back to the U.S.
   

"We can now preserve the integrity of premium U.S. cotton throughout the supply chain, promoting its traceability to farms which grow and produce responsibly and its purity without the blending of inferior cottons," said Dr. James Hayward, president and CEO of Applied DNA Sciences. "Today, consumers care deeply about where their products originate. With our technology, retailers and brands can be confident that the products on their shelves are true to the label."

 

Consumers recently voiced their concerns over product transparency through a survey conducted in December by Harris Poll, on behalf of Applied DNA. The poll surveyed more than 2,000 U.S. adults over the age of 18, finding that 30 percent of Americans said they would completely stop purchasing a brand if the brand made a false product claim about a bedding/clothing product being 100 percent organic, 100 percent Pima cotton, or other claim of this type.

 

Additionally, roughly three in five Americans (61 percent) said if they found a brand made their bedding/clothing products from raw cotton that was picked by child/forced laborers, they would no longer purchase the brand.

 

"We are pleased to help bring the new standard in Pima cotton purity to the marketplace, with a technology that guarantees product authenticity," said MeiLin Wan, vice president for Textiles at Applied DNA. "SigNature T is the solution that provides certainty not only for consumers, but also for retailers. In addition, U.S. farmers that grow cotton now have the knowledge that their cotton is protected throughout the supply chain.”

 

Source: Applied DNA Sciences