With growing concerns about climate change, the fashion industry is being held responsible for its damaging effects on not only the environment but also the society as a whole. The enormous scale of the fashion and textile industry makes the supply chain so complex and deregulated that fashion brands are not aware of the human rights abuses, climate damage and adverse effects their actions are causing to the entire ecosystem.

The lack of transparency, traceability and accountability aid in the imbalance of power and neglect to the society and environment. For instance, many brands have limited knowledge about the entire network of business partners within their supply chain and are unaware of actions being taken in the process to manufacture their product or the raw material used. Due to the supply chain being so long and complicated, information tends to get lost about the suppliers of their suppliers and the companies they are in business with. Due to these obstacles, the fashion industry is constantly looking for ways to replace damaging raw materials with alternatives having a lesser impact on the environment while ensuring transparency in the process.

Hemp as a fibre, having innumerable advantages to the environment is gaining great popularity amongst textile producers as a sustainable alternative to common raw materials. However, to prove a material's sustainability it is essential to counter false claims by proving how the hemp was grown, farmed and processed.

Panda Biotech based out of the United States are developing, financing and operating large-scale infrastructure facilities in clean energy and are working towards a facility to provide the industry with a premium, cottonised natural hemp which will be highly beneficial for industrial and consumer products. In order to verify the sustainability of this product, Panda Biotech has announced a partnership with New Zealand’s Oritain to create the world’s first scientifically traceable hemp fibre, from field to garment, for the textile industry. Based in New Zealand, Oritain uses forensic science to trace the origin of products.

What is Oritain verification? 

This process of verification is a method to validate and trace the reliability of a product's origins. Brands using this verification method go under independent, scientific sampling and analysis by Oritain. The properties of the natural fiber are measured and matched with the soil they are claimed to originate from, tracing the geological and environmental conditions of this fiber.

After the collection of genuine, random samples of products for their analysis, Oritain creates a profile of the product which consists of a unique 'origin fingerprint'. Each brand has to undergo a process of creating a fingerprint for their products.

Companies like Panda biotech are providing the industry with sustainable alternatives for materials damaging to the environment while proving its authenticity with scientific proof. Using this process, the product's authenticity can be traced and checked at any stage of its production process; from the raw material to the end of production stage, guaranteeing greater transparency of the textile hemp industry.