By Tirzah Rezende
The Company FibreTracespecializing in traceability solutions, has entered into a partnership last week with Target Corp and Cargill to monitor cotton coming from the US and Brazil within the global supply chain in real time.
Using FibreTrace's technology, Target Corp now has the ability to track and verify the provenance of cotton fiber in real time, promoting accountability throughout the global textile supply chain and enhancing the value of digital traceability solutions.
During the first year of this collaboration, the alliance plans to label 50,000 tons of raw cotton from the US and Brazil. The first labeling of US cotton took place in November 2023. This initiative aims to establish a path towards continuous, real-time verification of cotton, ensuring trust and credibility throughout the entire production process.
In the initial phase of cotton processing, known as ginning, FibreTrace integrates luminescent pigments into raw cotton, creating a unique signature. These pigments are tracked and identified throughout the entire supply chain. Data is securely stored via blockchain and shared through the FibreTrace platform or a digital platform selected by the brand.
In recent interviews, FibreTrace has been noted to be committed to collaborating with Target and Cargill to deliver innovation, transparency and integrity in the fiber used for US and Brazilian cotton. The company anticipates this collaboration to have a significant multiplier effect, showing other companies the possibilities and promoting a high level of traceability that can inspire other brands to follow suit.
On the other hand, Target has emphasized the importance of achieving complete visibility on the origin of the cotton used in its products, highlighting it as a priority in its sustainability goals. The collaboration with FibreTrace and Cargill is seen as a crucial step to improve traceability in the industry, thus facilitating the acceleration of these efforts together with its suppliers.
Finally, Cargill has emphasized its essential role as a supply chain partner, ensuring the integration of FibreTrace into the ginning process and subsequent delivery of that specific cotton to Target. The company is committed to establishing a traceable supply chain that allows Target to identify the origin of its cotton, leveraging the technology provided by FibreTrace.
In conclusion, this collaboration marks a significant step towards improving transparency in the textile chain through the use of blockchain. This development not only promotes innovation and integrity in the cotton industry in the US and Brazil, but also sets a higher standard for traceability that can catalyze positive changes throughout the industry. With technologies like FibreTrace, it is possible to build more responsible and sustainable supply chains, ensuring that consumers and companies can make informed and ethical decisions about the products they use and market.
