Branded HomeGrown™ Australia, the cotton will be tagged, tested and tracked from source to shelf using the SigNature® T system.
MOREE, New South Wales, Australia, 8 May 2018 – Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) announced today the installation of Applied DNA Sciences’ SigNature® T cotton traceability system at its Moree gin in Australia to tag, test and track pure HomeGrown™ Australian cotton.
The system will enable LDC to match increasing consumer and retailer demand for sustainable cotton, demonstrating traceability along the value chain. It will also support industry efforts to help Australian cotton become more competitive and sustainable.
“In line with our continuous drive to create greater value for our customers through our product and service offerings, LDC is excited to partner with The Himatsingka Group and Applied DNA Sciences to introduce the first robust, closed loop, supply chain traceability system for Australian cotton,” says Tony Geitz, Managing Director, Cotton Platform, LDC Australia.
“As a company committed to sustainability and responding to growing consumer demand for traceable cotton, LDC is pleased to adopt this innovative technology that will allow brand owners and retailers to verify the presence of Australian cotton in their finished garments and products. This will enable consumers to make more confident purchase decisions and promote the use of HomeGrown™ Australian cotton.”
LDC and The Himatsingka Group have initiated dialogues with multiple retailers and Australian cotton users about their increasing need for product origin assurance. In anticipation of this demand, Applied DNA Sciences will supply sufficient SigNature® T DNA taggant to tag approximately 14 million kilograms of pure Australian cotton at LDC’s Moree gin on a contingent basis.
Adam Kay, Chief Executive Officer of Cotton Australia remarked, “On average, Australian growers produce enough cotton to clothe 500 million people every year. It is great to see LDC’s traceability initiative, which will serve to strengthen our country’s already enviable global reputation as a reliable and trusted supplier of high quality cotton. As Australia’s cotton representative body, we endorse innovative solutions to traceability which we believe will help the industry become more competitive, sustainable and valued by the community.”
Backed by sourcing, processing, storage and logistical capabilities across major production regions in Australia, LDC originates, gins, warehouses and ships cotton and cotton seeds to global markets. In addition to Moree, the company operates two other cotton gins in Queensland.