TEXTILES.ORG
Applied DNA Sciences Inc. has announced that the Woolam Gin in O’Donnell, Texas, was awarded the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS v5.0) certification, making it the first certified U.S. organic cotton gin utilizing Applied DNA’s molecular tagging system, SigNature T. The system tags, tests and tracks organic cotton fibers throughout a certified supply chain.
“SigNature T assures that the organic cotton grown and ginned in Texas is not blended with other cottons from different origins or with non-organic cotton, thereby remaining pure throughout the supply chain, all the way to the consumer,” said Dr. James Hayward, president and CEO of Applied DNA.
“Use of the molecular tag will give an added level of traceability, transparency and trust that are an important value to our cooperative and its members,” said Jimmy Wedel, president, Texas Organic Cotton Marketing.
The first molecularly verified organic cotton is expected to debut at retail in spring 2018, using the OrganiCott cotton fiber brand owned by Himatsingka America.
Applied DNA Sciences is a provider of molecular technologies that enable supply chain security, anti-counterfeiting and anti-theft technology, product genotyping and DNA mass production for diagnostics and therapeutics. Woolam Gin is a third-generation family-operated cotton gin in West Texas.
According to the 2016 Textile Exchange Organic Cotton report, the global market value of organic cotton is $15.76 billion and continues to grow as more brands and retailers expand their organic cotton collections.