By Hallie Bertrand
New technology from Plains Cotton Cooperative Association (PCCA) is now available for denim apparel companies and retail outlets that enables customers to track jeans purchased all the way back to the farms where the cotton was produced.
The way traceability works is based on each bale’s permanent identification number that stays with the cotton as it is made into denim. When a customer purchases the denim, every pair of jeans made from that roll can have a number or QR (quick response) code printed on a label or hangtag. Customers then can type the number into an online database or scan the QR code with their smart phone and find information about some of the farming families that grew the cotton used to produce their jeans.
Jerry Jones, a member of PCCA’s fabric and jeans sales team, said several companies and brands are interested in using the traceability option.
“PCCA and Denimatrix have the unique ability to complete the entire traceability process,” Jones said. “They can attach the hangtag to every pair of jeans made with American Cotton Growers (ACG) denim. No other organization in the world can do this today.”
The upcoming 2012 line of All American All Cotton collegiate logo jeans produced by PCCA will be using traceability as well. To view an example of traceability, visit www.pcca.com and watch the video entitled “Jeans on a Journey.”