A more transparent supply chain and individual traceability for every item: the strategic partnership with retraced represents another important milestone in the Marc O’Polo sustainability strategy.
Haelixa, the DNA traceability solution, and one of the leading denim fully vertical manufacturers Diamond Denim announce their collaboration to promote transparency within the denim supply chains. Haelixa offers a traceability solution based on DNA. The company works with brands and manufacturers providing a forensic proof for product origin and authenticity from source to retail. Haelixa can develop a unique DNA marker to identify a specific brand, supplier, collection or even production lot and material type (e.g. recycled vs non-recycled). Unlike in paper based chain of custody or in blockchains, the product information is never separated from the product itself, but safely embedded in it all time and cannot be tampered with. With its DNA based traceability solution Haelixa addresses three key challenges of the textile industry: the need for transparency in global textile supply chains and the ability to prove product origin and sustainability claims.
Diamond Denim is part of the renowned Sapphire Group and one of the leading denim mills & garment makers in Pakistan. Sapphire established its first spinning unit in 1970 and their denim division was set up in 2014. Diamond Denims offers vertically integrated solutions from yarn to garments with a strong focus on sustainable fibres, eco-friendly chemicals and water savings, leading the way in an industry that is known to have a high environmental impact. Diamond has engaged in multiple initiatives to improve and reduce the negative impact throughout their business.
The collaboration with Haelixa shows Diamond Denim’s commitment to transparency through traceability. In the first joint project cotton fibre was marked after bale opening in the Diamond factory in Lahore. The read out, conducted in the Haelixa labs in Switzerland, was done with garment after several household washings as well as with different intermediate products from various production stages. It was a prerequisite for Diamond that the traceability solution used is in line with their sustainability standards: Haelixa markers are proven to be harmless for humans and the environment, GMO-free, vegan, GOTS and OekoTex 100 compliant. As Diamond Denim is investing heavily in new eco-friendly & sustainable technology to augment their use of recycled fibre, Haelixa will support them in a next project providing a forensic proof for their claims related to the use of recycled fibre.
Ali Abdullah, Co-Founder of Diamond Denim by Sapphire, states: “We are very happy with our first industrial application of the Haelixa marker. Once production was completed, we sent blind marked and unmarked samples back to Haelixa and their analysis proved to be 100% accurate! Within our mission to provide a clean and sustainable denim product, physical traceability is a big step forward. Haelixa reinforces our already solid supply chain controls and renders irrefutable proof that our product indeed contains what we declare.”
Michela Puddu, Co-Founder and CEO of Haelixa says: “We are proud to be able to support Diamond Denim in their commitment to transparency and sustainability. We also believe that being able to proof the use of recycled fibre will become crucial as there are more and more false claims related to recycling.”
