Haelixa wins new client in Hong Kong

Last year, Haelixa launched its “Marked & Traced by Haelixa” ingredient label for the textile and precious stones markets, allowing companies to prove their supply chain transparency to customers. In a new partnership with Hong-kong's yarn manufacturer, UPW, Haelixa will mark the yarn fibres at the dyeing and spinning facilities of UPW in Dongguan using a unique marker that is specifically developed for UPW. The marker is invisible to the naked eye and does not affect the product properties such as quality. It is also harmless for humans and the environment, GMO-free and GOTS and Oekotex Standard 100 compliant.

To verify and authenticate UPW products, Haelixa will take control samples from the finished product, with a simple DNA test providing forensic proof that the product is what it is claimed to be. The principle of the verification test is a ‘key-lock system’, meaning the DNA sequence needs to be known to be read out, which makes it impossible to replicate and used in an unauthorised way.

Kwan Lieu, marketing and sustainability manager at UPW, said: “It’s important for brands to have visibility into their supply chain. We aim to provide confidence and reassurance that the production of their knitwear aligns with their brand values – which is why we have partnered with Haelixa. UPW’s entire Fall Winter 2022 collection is coated with Haelixa’s DNA marker. This physical tracer makes it possible for retailers and brands at any point along the supply chain to verify if the yarns came from UPW’s certified mills. This is key to mitigating risk in the supply chain. UPW’s on-demand traceable knitwear yarns are also carried in stock for fast sampling with no MOQs, bringing accessibility to retailers, brands, and independent designers alike – because a sustainable future is transparent and inclusive.”

Gediminas Mikutis, co-founder and CTO of Haelixa, said: “Transparency and traceability are the necessary basis for ensuring sustainability claims across the textile value chain. We at Haelixa are very proud of the partnership with UPW because of the efforts they put into sourcing sustainable materials to produce yarns with both exceptional quality and true commitment to environmental protection and sustainability. The Haelixa traceability solution implemented across the complete ECO PLUS collection (75 different blends) will enable UPW’s customers to verify the material origin and integrity at any point of the value chain. This is a large step towards scaling traceability to every sustainable fibre.”

(Press release)
Photo from Apparel Insider