Both companies share an approach that combines technology and innovation to foster sustainability in the denim industry. Haelixa’s DNA marker allows tracing from fibre (virgin or recycled) to finished garment. The company has developed a unique DNA marker to be able to identify Soorty’s recycled cotton. The marker is solved in liquid and then applied to textile waste before mechanical recycling takes place in the spinning mill in Pakistan. Spot checks are done with the intermediate products as well as tests with the final garment to prove that the product indeed contains the recycled cotton. The test is based on highly scalable PCR technology that is 100% reliable and has forensic validity.
Being able to prove its claims is crucial for Soorty as the company has a strong focus on sustainability, and recycling is a major pillar of its sustainability strategy with a current recycling proportion of around 23%. The new waste segregation system is expected to further improve the recycling proportion by another 10% yearly.
Haelixa will also offer Soorty’s clients the use of its label “Marked & Traced by Haelixa” for garments. So Soorty customers can inform the end consumer about their supply chain transparency efforts using a solid technological traceability solution. The label can be complemented with a QR code linking to a dedicate landing page, where the brands can bring their product story to life and enable customers to access supply chain and product verification data.
Mr. Mansoor Bilal, VP Marketing Research and Innovation, at Soorty says about the future of the cooperation: “With the emerging concerns for environment, Soorty as a responsible stakeholder of society has pledged to make its manufacturing process more sustainable, transparent and traceable. After taking variables and standards into consideration, we are pleased to announce that we have collaborated with Haelixa, the pioneer of sustainability solution. Haelixa will help us attain the goal of traceability via DNA marker, which is a novel technology to trace the roots of finished goods. Irrefutably, Haelixa and Soorty’s partnership will prove to be successful in the journey of sustainability.”
Michela Puddu, Co-Founder and CEO of Haelixa comments:
“With recycling becoming a major trend, there is also an alarming number of unsubstantiated claims related to the use of recycled fibre in garments. To differentiate and re-build consumer trust more and more manufacturers and brands use markers to be able to authenticate recycled fibres in the final garment.”
About Haelixa
Haelixa Ltd. pioneers the development and commercialisation of disruptive product traceability solutions to ensure full end-to-end supply-chain consumer good traceability, with special focus on sustainable and ethically manufactured products, such as organic textiles and conflict-free minerals. Haelixa marking technology is based on DNA markers, which are physically applied to the material and stay linked to it, providing a traceable physical fingerprint from producer to retail.
For more information, please visit https://www.haelixa.com
About Soorty
Soorty is a family of engineers and designers who are passionate about creating denim that makes people look and feel good by imbuing its core values of innovation, design and sustainability. Believing that sustainable denim needs to be manufactured at scale, Soorty is using its comprehensive vertically integrated infrastructure spanning Pakistan, Turkey and Bangladesh to do just that. The company offers LEED certified production in cost-leading countries Pakistan and Bangladesh, a co-creation development facility in the hub of denim innovation Turkey, and design centers in the denim fashion hubs of the world - New York and Amsterdam. It has developed a strong foothold in European and US markets, producing for high street as well as premium brands in these regions.
Soorty is the only company to have LEED Platinum and Cradle2Cradle Gold certification across both its denim fabric mill and garment factory, a testament to its commitment to the circular economy and mass sustainable production.
Soorty uses its extensive factory floors as spaces for social change. Under its Prism Project, it has hired hearing impaired individuals in high-noise areas in its laundry, flipping disabilities into strengths. Its SEWS program uses a traveling street theater to sensitize male members of under-privileged households to the benefits of female employment, in order to bring a paradigm shift in women labor force participation in Pakistan.
Soorty Organic Cotton Initiative, SOCI, is Soorty’s recent venture into organic cotton farming. Covering 1000 farmers, SOCI will not only build capacity for organic cotton, but also enhance livelihoods through financial inclusion, women vocational training and access to clean water.
NASDA Green Energy limited is Soorty Group’s venture into wind power. Starting September 2021, this will produce 50 MW of renewable energy for evacuation through the national grid to unelectrified rural neighborhoods.
Thank you for taking the time to read this fashion news article.
Learn more about the textile industry and apparel industry recycling here on Apparel Search.
Time to read more fashion news. Thank you for reading the fashion blog.