To understand the true nature of cotton, a testing technique has been developed to unearth any GMOs or pesticides on the final product, the case of Analytical Group
Organic cotton: the relevance of testing and certifications
In areas such as fashion or food where regulations struggle to reach the entire supply chain, certifications take on relevance. Deficiencies also exist at the legislative level that do not allow clear limits to be set in the production of goods. That is why, again, one of the few systems to put a range of companies eager to engage in ethical and sustainable production on the same working basis are certifications.
Despite their relevance, above all in the fashion universe, there are testing models that make it possible to circumvent the rules while still receiving the label. How can companies proceed in such cases? By going to work on the DNA of the fiber and implementing research at the chemical level, explains Mattia Armelli, Commercial Group and Sales Director of Analytical Group.
Beyond GOTS, GMO screening in organic cotton
Among the certifications adopted to confirm the organic nature of cotton cultivation is GOTS. This, however, goes to work on the analysis of some of the production batches, leaving out the complete whole. For this reason, Analytical Group has implemented a system capable of carrying out GMO screening in organic cotton. It is, however, an analysis that takes place after GOTS certification or others by entities that tend to be nonprofit working in this direction, Armelli points out.
Often the expansion of business, despite the desire to work in an ethical manner, causes companies to fall victim to scams. This is why they find themselves working with cotton that is claimed to be organic but is in fact not organic in its entirety. DNA testing, the director explains, this stems from a market need that wants sustainability to be further and further linked to data and specific tests. In the end, advanced regulations such as those developed for GMO screening in organic cotton, along with the development of new machinery, are also necessary in this process.
DNA: the testing trials in the textile industry
Analytical Group intervenes through some laboratory tests that can verify the truthfulness of what is claimed on final product. One of the machines used is PCR, which is dedicated to DNA investigation that is done through state-of-the-art kits with precise markers inside. «The difficult concept is going to identify pure DNA given the different chemical treatments the cotton goes through», Armelli points out.
This DNA is then destroyed and often cannot be traced back to the original one. The analysis works in a perfect way on pure cotton flakes, and they are born with the intent of doing in-farm investigations, in the crop. Through the various steps of cotton processing, the DNA is broken down and is not always detectable on finished product. In this case, Armelli continues, a pesticide analysis is done, because organic cotton predicts in addition to being non-GMO that it does not have certain pesticides. If the cotton is GMO it can be detected only through DNA fragments, while detecting the presence of pesticides confirms the falsity of the organic certification.
Th textile industry: transparency of the whole supply chain
GMO testing of organic cotton is another step toward a complete supply chain transparency. «This will in the near future be the basis in the development of companies and more and more they will go on DNA analysis, which are certain and cannot be falsified in any way», Armelli asserts. To verify certification compliance this additional DNA analysis will be basic.
For example, the Director continues, it can also be peculiar to determine the type of leather used and then the basic characteristics of the animal involved. In this way, in addition to verifying the material, its provenance can be traced. With regard to synthetic materials, on the other hand, such as regenerated PET, Armelli explains, the test is useful for understanding whether it is in fact regenerated or virgin material.
Mattia Armelli, Commercial Group and Sales Director of Analytical Group: false claims and fraud management
It generally happens through laboratory testing to find false claims or certifications, from fashion to agribusiness and electronics. Often the tests are expensive and not all companies have the necessary budget. What Armelli believes is crucial is the possibility of decreasing their type but expanding them on the maximum amount of goods in order to have a truthful result. In fact, often these scams happen precisely because of the analysis on single, small batches of goods.
There are failures with respect to verifications requested from Analytical Group by clients, and in these cases, there are several ways to act. They range from corrections to be made with the individual supplier to more drastic solutions when legislative standards are not met. Other times if the material is up to standard, so the fail does not impact legally, it may happen that brands nevertheless have different and more restrictive standards to meet.
Analytical Group: Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals, an adding testing possibility
ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) is a nonprofit and few companies are licensed and approved in Europe to perform this test. Several, however, are the businesses that adhere to it and use this certification. The peculiarity, the director specifies, is the focus on the entire supply chain rather than the final product. Thus, elements such as wastewater, sludge, and chemicals used throughout the supply chain by the various brands are analyzed.
In practice, Analytical Group goes and samples water, sludge, and chemicals at the supply chain, and these suppliers are then registered in the ZDHC portal. The advantage for brands is the ability to find suppliers who are already qualified and aligned with the same goals to partner with. «This certification is similar to that of the Leather Working Group, which focuses in the leather field by also working on air emissions and worker health and safety, while ZDHC focuses on pollution», Armelli explains. The logic of this study is obvious considering that if no toxic and waste products are found it will mean that they are not used in the production process and will not even be present in the final product.
The goal of an ethical and innovation-compliant supply chain
«We have to be compliant by design because it is very complicated to control the whole supply chain». Thus affirms Armelli, hoping for homogenization to be achieved through guidelines dictated by certification, testing and beyond. Through these control protocols it is possible to achieve the sustainability that the fashion system seeks. For example, explains the Director, if hexavalent chromium is used in a product today in Europe you risk three months in jail and up to 400 thousand euros in fines. For the compliance and sustainability departments, it has become essential over the years to follow this path of change in order to continue operating.
Therefore, in addition to creating ad hoc laws, it is also necessary to devise a monitoring methodology to ensure compliance. Starting with a screening of the current brand situation, assessing business risks and protecting from a legal perspective are the first actions to be implemented according to Armelli. Analytical Group comes in a second step and thanks to its environmental and chemistry experts develops a tailor-made operating procedure. In addition to the legal aspect, the workflow toward more sustainable production is also managed by regulating output and input of goods.
Regulations are still lacking: supply chain, fibers, textiles, yarns
The emergence of regulations at the European level enabled the first step toward the development of an eco-conscious supply chain. «As much as we are pushing the circularity of materials these standards are still in the making and there are no certain points to which companies can refer», Armelli comments. Limits, checks to be made and regulations to be followed are still in a continuous work in progress. Right now, it is up to the individual brands to decide how much and how to invest in this direction based on their internal strategies. In this sense Analytical Group provides not only the data but also consultations to understand how that may impact in particular from a chemical point of view.
Mattia Armelli: Textile production attentive to today’s needs
Certifications and testing, Armelli reveals, have grown to impact this area through the first regulations in the chemical field, which in Europe are dated between 2009 and 2010. Regarding the fashion sphere in particular, it is necessary, according to the director, to provide the end consumer with more information about what the brand is operating. Another aspect from which to start then to implement an ethical production process is, according to Armelli, that of labels. From his point of view it is an actualization to the awareness of today’s consumers.
«When you start on a path of transparency and awareness, it’s probably a matter that a generation passes but then it becomes something established. The consumer will no longer be able to buy without knowing what is inside a garment», he states. In addition to material claims, chemical claims that can be accessed through interactive labels will increase in demand. Data and analysis instead of outdated percentages on materials will be able to transparently speed up the transition for brands. Beyond that, the inevitable boosts in this regard are the limitations imposed at the policy and legislative levels. «What is free of harmful chemistry cannot be considered an elite commodity because it is sold with a resounding markup but must be available to all in accordance with regulations set at the top», Armelli concludes.
Analytical Group
Founded in 1982 with the goal of specializing in testing and certification. Through laboratory and field testing, it is a reference in consulting for various companies in the environmental, agri-food, electromechanical and fashion industries.
