STONY BROOK, N.Y. — August 24, 2017 — Applied DNA Sciences Inc. today announced that one of its ginning partners, the Woolam Gin in O’Donnell, Texas, was awarded the Global Organic Textile Standard (“GOTS v5.0”) certification, making it the first certified U.S. organic cotton gin utilizing Applied DNA’s molecular tagging system, which provides a single platform to tag, test, and track the organic cotton fibers throughout a certified supply chain. According to the Control Union Certifications, a global certification body, Woolam Gin is 100 percent compliant with all standards and requirements for the GOTS v5.0 audit. Those standards and requirements examine the high level environmental criteria for processing organics, as well as socially responsible manufacturing practices. The GOTS certification coupled with USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) certification for organically grown cotton is the highest possible measurement standard.

According to the 2016 Textile Exchange Organic Cotton report, the global market value of organic cotton is $15.76 billion and continues to grow as more brands and retailers expand their organic cotton collections. In the U.S., organic fiber sales represent about $1.3 billion (2015) which equals more than 37 percent of total organic non-food sales of $3.5 billion. The first molecularly verified organic cotton is expected to debut at retail in spring, 2018, using the “OrganiCott™” cotton fiber brand, providing a means for consumers to know where the organic cotton comes from, and that it follows a certified organic cotton process.

“In an environment where consumers are demanding more information about the origin and authenticity of their products, Applied DNA is proud to partner with Woolam Gin to integrate molecular tagging,” said Dr. James Hayward, president and CEO of Applied DNA. “SigNature T assures that the organic cotton grown and ginned in Texas is not blended with other cottons from different origins or with non-organic cotton, thereby remaining pure throughout the supply chain, all the way to the consumer.”

Continued Dr. Hayward, “The tagging of organic cotton evidences Applied DNA’s growing entrenchment in the U.S. cotton industry. The deployment of our tagging system, starting first with Pima cotton and continuing on to the Upland varietals and organic cotton reflects the importance industry participants today place on the use of technology to change the way that they source cotton and take control of their supply chain. Participating in the supply chain of certified organic cotton now sets the precedent for our participation in other certified organic supply chains, providing the assurance that both the manufacturers and consumers demand.”

Since 1999, on a world scale, there has been a four-fold increase in organic agricultural land (from 11 million to 43.7 million hectares in 2014 (FiBL & IFOAM – Organics International, 2016). The GOTS standard provides chain of custody assurance covering cotton processing, manufacturing, packaging, labeling, trading and distribution of home and apparel textiles made with organic fiber. The standard prohibits the use of toxic inputs during the processing stages and includes strong labor protections, including prohibitions on child labor. As of January 2017, more than 1.4 million workers were in more than 4,600 facilities in over 60 countries certified under GOTS.

“We are excited that GOTS has approved our ginning process utilizing the Applied DNA SigNature T molecular tag,” said Jimmy Wedel, president, Texas Organic Cotton Marketing. “Use of the molecular tag will give an added level of traceability, transparency and trust that are an important value to our cooperative and its members.”   The Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative, based in West Texas High Plains area, grew almost 80 percent of all the organic cotton in the US in 2015.

“We are committed to a ginning process that authenticates our Texas organic cotton at its source,” said Kendall Harris, manager of Woolam Gin. “We take this commitment seriously and work hard to ensure that our organic cotton meets the highest standard to date. Woolam Gin is pleased to partner with Applied DNA and Control Union to complete our GOTS certification. This was a huge step and it is an honor to become the first GOTS v5.0 certified gin in the United States.”

Posted August 24, 2017

Source: Applied DNA Sciences

KELHEIM, Germany — August 24, 2017 — Marine litter is a global problem that is attracting more and more public attention: Plastic waste is not only ugly and a danger to flora and fauna — vast amounts of small plastic particles are floating in our oceans and are able to enter our food chain without being detected.
Kelheim Fibres presents a new concept that can help to prevent at least a part of this pollution in the first place by substituting conventional wet wipes, which usually contain a significant share of synthetic fibers, by wet wipes made with Kelheim’s viscose speciality short cut fiber Viloft® and cellulose.

Both raw materials are plant-based and therefore completely bio-degradable.
 With moist toilet tissue in particular, disposal via the toilet is clearly the obvious solution — but in contrast to conventional wipes containing polyester, wipes made of Viloft® short cut fibers can be flushed without concern, as the fibers have two plus points: there is neither a reason to fear an entry of plastic particles into the oceans nor the blockage of private or municipal sewage systems. Wipes made of Viloft® short cut fibers disintegrate in the sewage systems to small particles that do not harm this infrastructure.
 At the 56th International Man-made Fibers Congress at Dornbirn, Austria, Business Manager Horst Wörner will speak about Kelheim’s contribution to the reduction of marine litter.
His colleagues Dr. Nina Köhne and Dr. Roland Scholz will present further innovations of the Bavarian fiber specialist.
 Dr. Köhne will present the result of a joint research project with Resorba: based on the bio-polymers cellulose and collagen, the scientists created a multifunctional wound dressing, that is significantly superior to reference products as a result of its pH-indication and its gel-forming and wound healing properties.

Dr. Scholz will speak about carbon fibers that also can be manufactured sustainably, that is to say of the renewable raw material cellulose, by using viscose fibers as precursors,
The benefit: by modifying the viscose fiber during its production, the course of the subsequent carbonization can be changed in specific ways. For instance, a significant increase in the yield of carbon as well as a reduction of undesirable pyrolysis by-products was achieved.
In addition to their presentations, the R&D team of the Bavarian viscose fiber manufacturer looks forward to interesting conversations at their company’s booth.

Posted August 24, 2017 

Source: Kelheim Fibres

GREENSBORO, N.C. — August 22, 2017 — The North Carolina Zoo has awarded Unifi Inc. its 2017 Paw of Approval, which highlights the company’s commitment to environmentally responsible manufacturing. Unifi is the manufacturer of a family of fibers called REPREVE®, which are made from recycled materials including plastic bottles.

“We are honored to be recognized as good stewards of the environment throughout the Triad and beyond,” said Tom Caudle, president of Unifi. “At Unifi, environmental responsibility is more than just something we do. It is a major part of our culture, and we continually seek out ways to enhance our earth-friendly efforts.”

Inspired by the Polar Bears International organization, polar bear keepers at the North Carolina Zoo launched the Paw of Approval award in 2011 as a way to highlight and reward the Triad’s most earth-friendly businesses. Companies are nominated by zookeepers and then voted on by Zoo guests in order to select the winner.

North Carolina Zoo polar bear keeper, Nicole Pepo, remarked, “as an Arctic Ambassador Center, it’s our great pleasure to celebrate local businesses for their leadership and for their commitment to helping us tackle climate change at a community level.”

Since the introduction of Repreve, Unifi has transformed more than five billion recycled plastic bottles into fiber for Repreve-based products. Production of REPREVE conserves resources by offsetting the need to use newly refined crude oil, which is required in the production of virgin synthetic fibers. Repreve production also uses less energy and water, and produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions, compared to making virgin fibers. In addition to producing Repreve fibers, Unifi also bolsters its commitment to sustainability through several other initiatives.

• Last year, Unifi opened its Repreve Bottle Processing Center in Reidsville, North Carolina, where Unifi cleans and chops recycled plastic bottles into small pieces called flake, which can then be transformed into Repreve fiber or chip for other products that can be made from recycled plastic, such as food-grade packaging, high-performance clothing, shoes and more.
• Unifi drives change through a multi-stop, national mobile tour that travels the country educating individuals on the importance of recycling and what can be made from plastic bottles.
• Unifi installed a one MegaWatt solar farm in Yadkinville, N.C., which allows Unifi to harness natural power to generate energy.

Posted August 22, 2017

Source: Unifi