A cotton grower in California’s San Joaquin Valley ordered $1 million of Applied DNA Science’s SigNature T taggant for the 2019-20 ginning season, which gets underway in October.
Together with Applied DNA’s genotyping capabilities and digital technologies, SigNature T will tag, test and track the Pima cotton grown in this West Coast region and sold under the PimaCott brand by a large national home goods retailer.
“We are pleased that the value of forensic traceability and genotyping for cotton continues to translate to recurring demand for tagged cotton across the home textile category,” Dr. James A. Hayward, president and CEO of Applied DNA, said in a statement. “We believe the SigNature T platform, combined with our partner’s high standards in supply chain quality practices, assure them brand protection and label-claim compliance for retailers and consumers.”
The company’s SigNature T platform employs automated DNA technology and industrial Internet of Things to monitor cotton shipments, receipts and contract compliance. Beyond its use with Pima cotton growers, SigNature T also is implemented with cotton gins managing Egyptian and American Upland cotton varietals, Applied DNA added. More than 250 million pounds of cotton have been tagged with patented fiberTyping analysis “that is substantiated by forensic test data.”
Applied DNA’s technologies help brands control their fiber supply chains and give consumers the assurance of the authenticity of the products they’re purchasing. The company is a provider of molecular technologies enabling supply chain security, anti-counterfeiting, anti-theft technology and product genotyping capabilities.