Possibilities and Limitations in Controversial Discussion

Traceability: for some time now, this word has been of great importance in the supply chain. Reliable traceability back to the origin of the fibre – is this purely wishful thinking and a marketing instrument? The fact is that buyers of cotton products today want to know whether their suppliers comply with the promised sustainability criteria for their products. At the International Cotton Conference Bremen, we will examine these questions in expert lectures and discussions.

Chaired by Kai Hughes, Executive Director of the International Cotton Advisory Committee, Washington, various techniques such as DNA testing, fingerprint analysis technology, marker methods, and block-chain technology will be presented. In order to evaluate and assess the possibilities and limitations of their application, those demanding the technology, the retailers, will be given the chance to clarify their expectations. Controversial discussions are to be expected.

In their presentations, Gediminas Mikutes from Haelixa GmbH, Switzerland and Paul Stenning from Fibremark Solutions Ltd., Great Britain, will provide information on active product labelling techniques and the possibilities of downstream testing, while Sam Lind, Oritain Global Ltd, New Zealand, will discuss the possibility of using inherent fingerprinting capabilities with the help of the determination of element and isotope distribution in cotton.
Heinz Zeller, Hugo Boss Ticino SA, Switzerland, will provide information on the expectations of a fashion producer with the theme of “transparency for fashion in a digital world” and will introduces his block-chain-technology-based traceability model.

Damien Sanfilippo, Better Cotton Initiative, Switzerland, will explain the BCI’s efforts to create supply chain transparency and outline future paths.

Heinrich Schultz of Cotton South Africa, South Africa, will present a tailor-made sustainable cotton traceability platform based on an integrated procurement model and its practical application.

At the end of the session, the conference participants will be given an overview of the many possibilities of traceability techniques, as well as their specific suitability and the limitations that must be accepted.

Detailed information on the International Cotton Conference Bremen can be found at:
www.cotton-conference-Bremen.de