As part of the “Denim Deal” initiative, the Dutch government has partnered with clean technology company, The Movement, to achieve sustainability in the textile industry through recycling and traceability of recycled cotton.
In the Netherlands, total annual sales of jeans amount to as many as 21 million pairs, which is why the Denim Deal initiative intends to save water that is not needed to produce new fabrics and can instead be used for drinking water or l irrigation of food crops.
What this clean tech company does
The Movement is a Dutch company that focuses on finding environmentally friendly solutions for the textile industry. The company has emerged as a response to the devastating consequences the textile industry has on the environment and is focusing on sustainable fiber and yarn solutions through their Aware blockchain traceability solution.
It takes 8.000 liters of water to make a pair of jeans, and only 0,1% of discarded garments are used in high-quality applications, according to the Green Deal circular in Denmark.
The government initiative outlines a key aspect of sustainability such as circularity, in which, through 'closing the loops', parties in the value chain, including collectors and recyclers, brand owners and public authorities, undertake important steps towards recycling denim products.
How the process works
As part of this Green Deal on circular denim, The Movement's Aware solution involves a four-step process. They first inject a tracer into a recycled fabric and record proof of certification in digital tokens on the blockchain.
Subsequently, the manufacturing process can begin to produce the final textile product. Then, the tracer content is scanned as the final part of the production, and finally at the end of the supply chain, the product can be scanned and matched with the original recycled material data, part of the Aware Forever blockchain.
This validation system example could soon replace existing QR codes, which use handheld devices for verification, but rely on a database system rather than open source technology.
Cotton cultivation is an industry where a growing demand for sustainable and ethically sourced products has led to innovative ways to demonstrate sustainability.
The Dutch government's use of blockchain technology in its green initiative marks what The Movement claims to be the first use of blockchain technology to track recycled cotton.
Really a nice idea for one of the most advanced countries from this point of view. A true green oasis that seeks with clean initiatives like this one, of invest on our planet. After all, blockchain technology is truly capable of supporting any type of business, even those that most of us have never thought of. Let us know in the comments what you think!
