The scourge of counterfeiting has been affecting a wide range of industries. In fact, global trade in counterfeit products has been booming. The sheer size of the industry, if one can call it, is staggering.
An International Chamber of Commerce report on counterfeiting and piracy states that the global economic and social impacts of counterfeiting and piracy reached $1.7 trillion by 2015. Counterfeit products make up to 5-7 per cent of world trade, according to industry estimates.
Applied DNA Sciences (Adnas) has been helping businesses tackle the menace of counterfeiting for around a decade now. The New York-based company, using biotechnology as a forensic foundation, creates unique security solutions to combat counterfeiting.
The company’s DNA marker – SigNature DNA – is at the core of all its security solutions. A result of extensive R&D, SigNature DNA is a forensic, flexible, and durable botanical marker which yields stunning accuracy. SigNature T is the solution for textiles and apparel.
In an exclusive chat with The Textile Magazine, the duo of Ms. MeiLin Wan, Vice President of Applied DNA Sciences, and Mr. Peush Narang, Director, Antar Advisors, Business Consultant for Adnas in India, talk about the company’s history, DNA markers, security solutions, focus on the textile industry, and its plans for the Indian market.
Excerpts from the interview:
Beginning the interaction with a brief introduction of the company, Ms. Wan said: “We are a US-based company. Our technology is based on DNA science and how DNA markers are used in commercial applications. The technology finds applications in various industries such as automobiles, textiles, security, and so on. We are a relatively young company – about 10 years old. We are a very innovative company. Most of the people who work for us tend to be specialists like molecular biologists and scientists. Then there is our sales and marketing department. Totally, we have around 65 people working for us. Apart from the US, we have business development and sales representatives in India, England and Sweden, and we are continuously expanding”.
Talking about the core technology of the company, Ms. Wan observed: “The DNA, if you understand, is what makes every one of us unique. We have been able to develop botanical marker technology based on this concept. We are considered a pioneer in this field globally. Our technology is used for government applications. We have used DNA markers for security applications. We have marked ransom money and drugs with DNA to catch criminals. So, it has been a successful crime prevention application.”
Wide-ranging applications
SigNature DNA has been vetted by the US Defense Logistics Agency and is now used by suppliers on key electronic components offered to the US Military. Used by law enforcement and security agencies in the UK and Western Europe it has contributed to nearly 90 convictions in the past six years. Every single case supported by an ADNAS Expert Witness Document has resulted in a conviction.
As of 2014, more than 100 million lbs of SigNature T DNA-marked cotton have proceeded through the supply chain toward use in finished goods production and authentication can occur at each step along the way.
With respect to using the DNA technology in textiles, Ms. Wan said: “We can actually create a DNA mark and apply it onto the fiber and trace it all the way from the farmer, to the spinner, to the manufacturer, all the way to the retailer. And conversely, we can also trace the DNA mark back to the farmer. So, it is a great way to ensure the purity of the fiber. We know, for example, fibers like cashmere have been substituted. But no one ever thought cotton would be substituted. A few years ago, cotton prices zoomed. That was when the trend of counterfeiting became pronounced. That was also the time when a very high quantity of inferior and blended cotton began to do the rounds in the market”.
The company has developed a specific solution called SigNature T for the textile industry. Commenting on the solution, Ms. Wan said: “The ‘T’ in SigNature T stands for traceability, trust, and textiles. The first full-fledged DNA-tagged and verified product is now in the market in the US. Globally, other retailers are also showing great interest in using the technology. By using it, they can reassert their claim to customers that what they are selling as a 100% product is indeed a 100% product”.
Further expansion in the textile industry with upland cotton is underway.
Ms. Wan added: “In the future, we are thinking of using the DNA technology on technical textiles also. It could be used to protect the source raw materials that could be used in a range of products where safety and security are a must, such as flame retardants, anti mosquito applications, uniforms, and so on. This technology promises safety and security. It helps build trust. With this technology, things such as fabric getting damaged after two washes, color fading, and shrinkage could become a thing of the past.”
The second technology that Adnas offers is ‘fiberTyping’. According to Ms. Wan, fiberTyping is a patented DNA assay that can be used to determine if a Pima product contains the original cotton cultivar (Gossypium barbadense), non Pima cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) or a blend of both cultivars. It is a powerful tool to help the cotton industry ensure that products labeled as 100% extra long staple or 100% Pima are compliant with such claims.
India focus
Throwing light on the company’s plans for the Indian market, Ms. Wan explained: “Most of the textile manufacturing these days is done in India, China and other parts of South-East Asia. The companies here in India are now more aware of the quality and authenticity issues. Why is it important to use good quality raw material? If you have good quality raw material from the beginning, then the end result will be great fabric. It is that simple. The companies that have been truthful about how they have been making their products, they will be interested in our technology because it helps prove authenticity, quality, and also proves why the product costs what it costs.”
According to Mr. Peush Narang, the engagement of DNA technology in the Indian context is at present mostly at the manufacturing stage, and he expects it to be increasingly used in other stages of the supply chain in the near future.
Going into details about one of the company’s leading Indian clients, Himatsingka, Ms. Wan said: “Himatsingka is our partner in a project involving Pima cotton, which as you know is a premium cotton type. They have been dealing with premium products all along. Their history has been in high-end silks. For them, quality and reputation are of utmost importance. They want to be absolutely sure about the raw material. If they are using Pima cotton they want to make sure that it is indeed 100% Pima cotton. So, they are using the SigNature T DNA technology. They are taking a big leap forward. It takes courage, because the textile industry does not adopt new technologies that easily. This is a technology that we feel could transform the industry”.
Elaborating on why this technology is so crucial for Indian manufacturers, Ms. Wan explained: “No one thought that this was the way to physically check a product. The only thing that they had till now was paper documentation. Now, with this technology, a ginner, spinner, or a manufacturer knows completely about the material that is being used. In future, we expect more blending of poly fibers and cotton fibers. It is possible that the poly fibers will have a separate tagging and the cotton fibers will have their own DNA marking.”
Asked about the technology’s role in man-made fibers, Ms. Wan said: “We are actively exploring this area. We are working on marking in high-performance wear. We are beginning to work with performance apparel companies that want to ensure that the polymers used in, for example, running shoes are of high quality. We are also working on fibers with some special or performance attribute. And the other area in which this technology can play a key role is manufacturing of organic products. The DNA technology can help authenticate the claims of organic product manufacturers.”
Commenting on how long the company has been promoting its DNA solutions in India, Ms. Wan disclosed: “We started in 2014. We have already come a long way. We find interest in our products increasing by the day. We see the Indian market evolving, and important to our growth.”
Crystal ball gazing into the near future, Mr. Narang predicts an exciting growth period for the DNA-based technology in the Indian market. Driving home the point, he said: “With respect to the Indian market, the demand to determine authenticity from the home textile segment has been very encouraging. Similarly, demand from the apparel segment has also been very good. From the feedback that we have been getting we are sure that demand in other market segments will also pick up. If one of the top brands begins to use this technology, the other brands will surely follow suit.
He concluded with the statement: “The DNA technology has got immense potential in India. If we start cleaning up the supply chain using this technology, it will help everyone to realize better value for their products down the line, the retailers all the way back to the farmer”.