Counterfeiting is not only a problem for currency; fibers can be faked, too, creating the need for a scientifically rigorous authentication process both retailers and consumers can rely upon. Applied DNS Sciences (APDN), a firm that specializes in “botanical-DNA based security and authentication solutions,” is announcing progress producing precisely that.
On December 17, APDN reported the successful completion of a second scientific trial of SigNature T, an “anti-counterfeiting platform to assure identity and originality of textiles and apparel.” The trial was the result of a sizable collaboration of textile organizations of various stripes and is intended to especially apply to cotton, particularly susceptible to fiber forgery.
According to APDN’s statements to the press, their new technology can “detect the difference between real and fake in every test at each major step of the cotton logistics chain, from ginning, through roving, through finished product. The APDN mark survived despite aggressive processing, industrial washing, and other harsh treatments and stresses.”
Since there are so many different varieties of cotton, and such varying levels of quality and expense, counterfeiting has been a major problem. Some industry experts say the losses associated with cotton forgery are just as impactful as those incurred at the hands of brand and label theft.
The new technology is able to be used on raw materials as well as finished products. Any kind of yarn, fabric, fiber or garment can be marked with SigNature DNA in a way that allows for its definitive authentication later.
Dr. James Hayward, CEO and President of APDN, said, “We believe that the great success of this trial shows that the APDN anti-counterfeiting platform for textiles will be the worldwide gold standard for brand identity assurance in textiles. APDN can now mark massive volumes of product, on both American and foreign soils, and assure integrity of the textile supply chain at an unprecedented level.”