Packaging, in all its different forms, is ubiquitous across the fashion industry. This is no more evident than the single-use plastic and cardboard packaging that enables the burgeoning e-commerce market.

The last 5 years have seen a pronounced increase in excitement around “biomaterials” for the fashion industry. As brands consider their environmental and social impacts, along with rising ethical concerns from consumers, the search for more ‘sustainable’ alternatives is driving innovation. Wider trends are further contributing to interest in biomaterials; from climate change and the potential for lower carbon footprints vs fossil based synthetic materials, the war on plastics, to the rapid growth of veganism1 and a rush to find alternatives to animal derived materials. Biomaterials, however, remain an ill defined category.

This project involved a detailed analysis and assessment of physical tracer technologies for the textile industry, aimed at improving the traceability of fibres and materials across the supply chain. It evaluated forensic and additive tracers as solutions to verify the origins of materials and strengthen transparency in the textile supply chain.