Nettle Circle, a manufacturer of fibre from Himalayan nettle bark, has partnered with traceability solutions provider Haelixa to forensically map the lifecycle of its product. Set to be launched at next week’s Future Fabric Expo in London, the tagged material verifies its origins back to the mountains of Asia, whilst spotlighting the work of the remote communities who make a living harvesting the bark.
“We are proud to have Haelixa partner with Nettle Circle to provide a physical traceability solution and transparency from the fields to finished products. Since nettle fibre is new to the textile market, we wanted to ensure from the beginning that Nettle Circle fibres were uniquely identifiable,” commented Cornelia Bamert, Nettle Circle’s CEO and Founder.
Haelixa – which has partnered with a number of brands and manufacturers to validate the sustainability credentials of their materials – uses a DNA marker which is embedded in products from source and is identifiable throughout the supply chain.
The company has worked with Nettle Circle for around a year, testing whether its solution is compatible with the nettle bark used to produce fibres and yarns. The marker is said to withstand the transformation from raw material to finished good despite rigorous processing and provides peace of mind to customers that the items they receive are authentic.
“We are excited to support Nettle Circle in their efforts to bring traceability into nettle value chains and promote the use of such fibres, whose production has a low environmental impact. By providing forensic evidence of fibre origin and identity, we are helping to establish transparent supply chains and credible sustainable alternatives, which is even more relevant for emerging options such as nettle, where there are no formal certification routes,” said Michela Puddu, CEO and Co-Founder of Haelixa.
For Bamert, “using Haelixa’s unique technology allows Nettle Circle to guarantee full traceability and transparency in the entirety of the nettle fibre supply chain. “Together with Haelixa, our next steps are to scale-up nettle production as the next generation of natural fibres.”
