An international blockchain app is showcasing the entire process involved in the creation of garments made from Aussie cotton, featuring those involved throughout the entire process – from farm to European fashion.
Imagine putting on an item of cotton-made clothing and being able to trace the very fibres from what you were wearing right back to the farm it came from, tracking every hand involved in the creation process?
Well, for a number of Aussie farmers, a traceability app has made this concept a reality.
By sewing together technology and traceability, Swedish clothing brand, Gina Tricot, is allowing consumers to see the Aussie farmers responsible for their cotton clothing, including farmers in the NSW Macquarie Valley.
This is the second pilot that Cotton Australia's Cotton to Market program has been involved with, working with blockchain creators PaperTale and the manufacturer to tell the story of the cotton growers involved.
According to Cotton Australia's Supply Chain consultant Brooke Summers, the use of technology to trace products is becoming more sought after.
"There's no doubt our brand and retail customers are looking for clever ways to trace and track their products and impact right back to farm level, and we expect new technologies to facilitate this will become more prevalent in the market," she said.
By getting involved in pilots like these we can learn a lot about what our customers need, as well as the limitations and challenges in working within these technologies
Angus O'Brien farms at Warren in the Macquarie region and was one of the farmers identified and said the blockchain technology was "impressive".
"I have an appreciation of the cotton growing process, but for someone who is in a country far removed from where this happens, it would be amazing for them to see this and learn about where their cotton came from," he said.
We have no idea where our cotton ends up when it leaves the farm. It's wonderful to think that the cotton from our farm has ended up in top-end fashion for a well-known brand overseas.
