"The Textile Tracer Assessment" analyses and benchmarks physical tracer technologies for the fashion and textile industry.
The Textile Tracer Assessment was jointly released by Fashion for Good and Textile Exchange in July 2022. It looks at capabilities and applications to help suppliers and brands choose the right solution to boost their traceability and sustainability models. As more technologies mature and capabilities are added, it will grow into an indispensable tool for the industry.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The analysis of 17 tracer companies led to the following takeaways:
Based on the innovations and scientific methodologies used, there are two main categories of physical technologies: forensic tracers and additive tracers.
Forensic tracers focus on providing geographic verification of plant and animal fibres and put less less of a burden on the supply chain.
Additive tracers facilitate better end-to-end traceability and have a broader use case in terms of meeting the users' traceability objectives.
The implementation of tracer technologies is essential to bring physical verification alongside transactional and site verification.
These technologies are one piece of a bigger traceability puzzle.