ARISE IIP, pan-African developer and operator of world-class industrial parks, and FibreTrace, a leader in traceable fibre technology, announced a new pilot program enabling spinner-to-garment traceability for ARISE IIP’s highly anticipated Republic of Benin spinning facilities at the Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone (GDIZ).

A groundbreaking achievement for the fast-emerging African textile sector, the partnership between FibreTrace and ARISE IIP will bring full traceability to the first of their kind, vertically integrated mills in the Republic of Benin to trace, verify and audit the lifecycle of their garments from spinning mills to stores, sharing the journey of Benin premium cotton with end consumers.

Debut in fall 2022

The partnership between ARISE IIP and FibreTrace will position Benin at the forefront of textile innovation and technology, improving visibility, resilience, securing economic competitiveness, and creating a thriving value chain for African agriculture as the country is expected to have 98,000 tons lint cotton processing capacity per annum by the end of 2023.

Smallholder farmers are estimated to produce around 30% of total crop output globally, making them the foundation of global agriculture and the food sector. The program will make its debut in the Fall of 2022 when GDIZ spinning, fabric and garment production facilities are anticipated to start operations.

Given FibreTrace success in other cotton growing regions, it is anticipated that this technology will be adopted at scale across all textile processing sites and facilities in Benin and across the African sub-continent. The technology will provide transparency and true custody of supply chain solutions for brands and suppliers across the globe working with African manufacturers and supporting the growth of best practices in agriculture on the continent.

Luminescent pigments for traceability

To guarantee the traceability of the cotton, FibreTrace embeds luminescent pigments on the fibre at the spinning mill. The pigments, indestructible throughout the entire textile processing cycle, can be read and tracked at every stage of the supply chain, and each audit is recorded on the blockchain making the information secured, accessible and irrefutable.

The events of COP26 and rising pressure from governments, legislative bodies and consumers for brands and retailers to commit to greater climate action and take full accountability for their sustainability progress, have made clear that transparency and traceability are essential to leading dialogue and meaningful change for the global textile industry.

• About ARISE IIP: ARISE Integrated Industrial Platforms (ARISE IIP) is a pan-African developer and operator of industrial parks committed to making Africa thrive. ARISE identifies opportunities in commercial and industrial value chains across Africa, and conceives, finances, builds and operates the necessary infrastructure, playing a catalytic role in supporting countries to transition to an industrial economy. Their ambition is to unlock the continent’s industrial potential while neutralising the carbon emissions and climate impact. ARISE IIP is currently present in Benin (GDIZ), Togo (PIA) and Gabon (GSEZ).
• About FibreTrace: FibreTrace’s mission is to ensure every member of the textile supply chain has the ability to take direct accountability to reduce the environmental impact of the global industry. In doing so, FibreTrace aims to ultimately provide the consumer the opportunity to choose a transparent and sustainable supply chain to follow and purchase from. The company is providing true custody of supply, real-time verification of a product as it moves through the global supply chain, primary impact data on emissions at farm, and verification of fibre content and quantity.